People seem to talk a lot about the issues that arise on the campus relating to extremely poor mental health conditions and the suicide nets. I can’t tell if these are just overdone by social media and things like that or if they are of real concern. I visited Cornell last summer and really liked it, but I do not want to have to deal with an unhealthy atmosphere. Can anyone offer any insight on the validity of these conditions and how bad it really is?
Which people?
I’d say no. Considering that undergrads alone, Cornell has about 14,000 students. That’s a lot of students. It is a very competitive school. Students get stressed from time to time in such an environment.
However, suicide by jumping of a bridge into a gorge, although rare, was dramatic and made headline news. It stays in people’s minds making perception becomes reality.
Cornell provides excellent academic and good mental health support for its students. My D belongs to a small department. When she was stressed out, her prof recognized it and suggested she saw a counselor. She did and it helped her through her tough time. She said her prof was genuinely caring and the counselor was very understanding and supportive.
If you think Cornell is a good fit for you academically, financially and socially, go for it.
The nets are just an extra precaution. It’s not like people are throwing themselves off the bridge on a regular basis. D is there, has wonderful friends, and says there is no place she’d rather be.
Cornell has a below average suicide rate.
Not to scare you, but I have found that while Cornell seems to advocate for mental health care, it is often very lacking. Some of the administrative policies put into place almost seem to exist for the sole purpose of making graduating more difficult so that the school can boast about its “stellar academics.” Largely, the education at Ivy League schools is pretty consistent with lower-tiered institutions, however it is the administrative and grading policies that give these schools their difficult reputations. Cornell just instituted a new policy at their health center and are cutting therapy sessions from an hour to thirty minutes. In terms of a personal account, I have been on medication for a couple years and scheduled an appointment to receive a refill at Cornell, however the appointment was canceled because I “was not receiving therapy at Cornell Health,” so I ended up having to temporarily go through withdrawal. Cornell has many things going for it, but personally I don’t think their mental health care is one of them. This is probably only especially prominent if you are already prone to mental health struggles, however. Good luck!