Don’t cry for me Princeton!

Graduating from a highly selective school may not matter as much as you think when it comes to feelings of well-being in life. Much more important is what you do in school and how you experience it, no matter what type of school you attend.

Your happiness counts most.

A survey of 30,000 college graduates of all ages in all 50 states conducted by Gallup-Purdue University (2014) looked at links among college, work, and well-being. They found just as many graduates of public colleges as graduates of not-for-profit private colleges were engaged at work—meaning they are deeply involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work. And just as many graduates of public as not-for-profit private institutions were thriving—which Gallup defines as strong, consistent, and progressing—in all areas of their well-being.

The upshot? Little more, if any, additional well-being can be found among graduates of Ivy League colleges than alumni of other types of colleges. In other words, the type of institution you attend doesn’t matter when it comes to what counts most: your happiness.

It’s not the money, stupid.

Most definitions of happiness describe it as a state of mind or a feeling characterized by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy. Psychologist Martin Seligman, who has extensively studied the psychology of happiness, says it is impossible to know whether the college experiences Gallup asked about were the cause of the later success or simply coincidental with it. But if you’re content, does it really matter?

Consider some of the spin-off benefits of college, regardless where you attend:

Helps you discover yourself, a key to making better decisions about your future.
Widens your base of knowledge and prepares you to cope with life’s complexities.
Broadens your horizons by introducing you to people of different cultures and new ways of thinking.

The key to great jobs and great lives.

While Gallup found that highly selective schools don’t produce better workers or happier people, inspiring professors—no matter where they teach—just might. For example, if graduates recalled having a professor who cared about them, made them excited about learning, and encouraged them to pursue their dreams, their odds of being engaged at work more than doubled, as did their odds of thriving in all aspects of their well-being. Unfortunately, only 14 percent of graduates recalled having a professor who did all of those things. Glom onto one and blossom!