Public Service Announcement

[kitsjay]

Cornell is being called "the suicide school" because of six suicides in six months; UT recently was ranked among the top most stressful colleges in the USA. One of our school officials said this:

"She said despite competitiveness at the University, she doesn’t think the stress levels are abnormally high.

With a higher-performing group of students present at UT, students place more stress on themselves to perform well academically".

Today there were puppies outside of the FAC, because petting animals has been shown to lower stress levels. My guess? The ranking combined with the deaths at Cornell and the subsequent bad PR it's getting made UT officials start implementing measures to counteract this. Interestingly, and somewhat horrifyingly, I couldn't find any statistics on the suicide rate of UT.

What does this all add up to?

(A) Suicide has been shown to be highest among older people and people 20-24. It's also the second leading cause of death for college students.

(B) Instead of addressing the problem that maybe, just maybe, there's something wrong with the system that actively encourages stress by making GRE's, tests, and grades the ultimate goal, we're going to place the blame on the students themselves and...

(C) Put up measures that lower stress already there, instead of evaluating why there's so much stress in the first place.

While the measures Cornell and UT are taking are admirable, I feel like they're addressing the symptoms of a problem instead of attacking the problem itself.

I know everyone has been having more than a rough time this semester; it's been the semester from hell. I know it, trust me. I feel like everyone told me, "Oh, take as much time as you need!", "There's no deadline for getting over things like this!", but the pressure put on me by teachers to do well and take tests and show up for class when I wasn't ready was monumental. I had to force myself to start going again because one of my teachers, who seemed really understanding, apparently was only ready to be understanding for a few weeks, then it turned into, "Well, why aren't you over this already?"

So I know. It's monumentally hard for everyone right now and it feels like the pressure's mounting instead of going away. Call your mom (seriously, a study showed it lowers stress levels as much as a hug from her), pet some puppies, drink herbal tea, do something that relaxes you, but if it's still bad, please see someone or talk to someone. I know what it's like to be there, and though mine was more of an internal thing than external stress amplifying this problem, it's awful, and I'm worried about everyone. Some of you have work issues, some have family problems, some have both.

So really: be cool, be safe, be alive.

Comments

[kairina.livejournal.com]

I don't really know what it is about my university experience here in the U.S. that gives me more stress compared to all my friends in extremely competitive universities in other countries. There's something about the system here and maybe the culture in general that promotes such negative feelings, but I can't really say what these things are specifically. None of my friends in other countries have these problems concerning GREs, fulfilling professor's expectations, and so on.

It truly was the semester of hell. Grades just got posted today and I did very well, but I also had no money, starved (and didn't eat real meals for a month) and lost 50% of my hair. I haven't gotten over the feeling of constantly having an "edge" yet either. Good luck over there! :)

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Part of it may be that students are *very* well aware of the stress here that exists outside the university. Fears of not getting ajob really get in the way of concentrating on stuff that seems pretty darn arbitrary and irrelevant to what you have to do later on.
The economic situation has been very rough for *everybody*, and student jobs and grants are just as subject to funding cuts as those for disabled people outside. Plus not finding jobs outside. Parents are feeling the squeeze and I'm sure passing it on, and this is an election cycle coming up on us, too--which matters a lot more to many people than it used to, for various reasons (but enough of my ranting about politics, before I get started...) All these contribute to internal pressures.

[aquitaineq.livejournal.com]

Well, they do say that Cornell is the easiest Ivy League to get in to, but the hardest to graduate from.
And as for you young lady, you're doing the best you can! The semester is almost over, just try to last a bit longer *hugs* I know you can do it!

[paperscout.livejournal.com]

There was a similar situation at NYU like two years before I got there. I think it was like 5 suicides in one year? (We've had an average of 2/yr since then I believe.) And 2-3 of them were jumping, so NYU's brilliant solution was to put bars all around the library (the center is open all the way up so the floors are kind of walkways) and lock all the windows and balconies in all the dorms, permanently. Which was absolutely brilliant, because students already go stir-crazy in the new city environment, and cutting off access to the outside world even more is *really* the solution. Basically, it just led to more creative suicides. Such as the freshman my sophomore year who dragged his dresser in front of his bedroom door and then suffocated himself to death with a plastic bag. And of course then they raised tuition, cut all scholarships & work study, started forcing kids out of dorms, etc. etc.

I think it really is just all about PR for these places.