me me me me me
from a UVA alum? never…
it’s clear from your post that you have some issues… you should handle them (this is something that is not W&M’s job), perhaps it will help you treat other people better.
I saw your aggressive replies to another thread about a unhappy W&M senior (the DO NOT GO TO W&M thread back in 2014). I understand your desire to defend a school you are clearly like and admire. However, there are many students that are dissatisfied with W&M, and I happen to be one of them. I am sorry I do not share your admiration, but my experiences are real and honest.
When I entered my program, the department head exclaimed, “You’re the UVA girl everyone is so excited about!” My fellow classmates did not receive the same welcome. In fact, every professor referenced my UVA background. I spoke to the Dean of Students and Ombudsman about my experiences. The were worried that the department even “misrepresented the program” by embellishing or exaggerating details and asked if I wanted to pursue that matter further. I chose to drop it because I simply wanted to leave Williamsburg and was planning on transferring anyway.
To add some context to this graduate program, I will say that it is not very highly ranked. It was one of W&M smaller programs that typically fund under 10 graduate students a year. I decided to give it a chance because I heard good things about W&M and I did receive a tuition waiver & stipend. I did plenty of research on graduate schools (but thank you very much for your concern, fallenchemist). I spoke with my adviser and program director several times over the phone before matriculating. I visited the campus and arranged to meet them in person as well. I asked current students and alumni about their perspective. I went into W&M with high hopes and optimism. I was actually hesitant about UVA for undergrad because of the party atmosphere. (I ended up loving UVA though!) I am rather shy and quiet, so I figured W&M would be a good fit for me as well.
Soccerguy, I would prefer not to get attacked in the future. I did not insult or attack you in any way. I merely shared my thoughts on suicide at W&M. I am quite disappointed in W&M’s counseling and support services for students in need, and I can imagine that being a leading issue in the prevalence of suicide. Why are you going out of your way to say “I have some issues” because I had a bad experience with a school? You did the same thing with that unhappy senior student who posted about how he/she regretted going to W&M.
Thank you for your constructive reply. I am familiar with W&M’s counseling services, and I did look into it at one point. I am a very proactive person, and I sought out support through the Dean of Students and Ombudsman. I wholeheartedly recommend W&M’s graduate ombuds system, by the way! They were so attentive and caring.
I ended up going to a few support sessions off-campus at a private establishment. A lot of W&M students get referred there, which honestly does not reflect very well on the school. Instead of treating and supporting these students, W&M health services refer them to a private establishment. The sessions are much more costly, and I truly feel bad for these students who have to cough up a high co-pay or even pay out of pocket. More than half of the people that attended the sessions were from W&M.
I stopped going to these support sessions after a certain point because I felt like I was back on track. It was interesting to meet fellow students and hear about their struggles. Some of them were severely depressed. In my case, I simply needed someone to talk to during a difficult time. My parents and friends were occupied with other issues so I did not want to burden them with my problems. (I know I could have, but I prefer to handle things myself whenever I can).
On the other hand, my undergrad college roommate had a wonderful experience with UVA CAPS. I even escorted him to a few sessions because he did not want to go alone. UVA CAPS did not charge for no-shows or cancelations, which is a common problem for depressed patients. Private clinics did charge (as I learned the hard way due to a schedule conflict), and I felt like it was very greedy and borderline shady. Like I said before, I really feel bad for the W&M students that get referred to this particular private clinic.
Nevertheless, CAPS is not perfect, and UVA student health does have plenty of room for improvement. Some of the psychiatrists complete their residency at CAPS and do not plan on staying long-term. These doctors come and go, which is unfortunate. That is what happened to my roommate’s shrink. It was tough for him to open up to a new psychiatrist.
The thread you linked me about UVA CAPs has plenty of good comments as well. Many of the posters recommended the OP to seek CAPS. I’m not sure why you think CAPS is inadequate based on that thread? OP and student did give it a try. I think that OP mainly had an issue with being rejected so many times. Elections for dorm office/clubs/studco can be quite competitive at UVA. Rushing greek is also tough. Sometimes it takes a while to find your niche in college, and I can relate to getting turned down from a coveted position in an student organization. This is not just exclusive to UVA, but rather all colleges, including W&M. Landing a leadership position or getting into a popular frat is not easy.
Overall, I respect UVA CAPS a lot for not pushing my roommate for a medical withdrawal. His counselors and professors wanted to help him get through school and depression. There was no reason for him to discontinue his studies as long as he attended his therapy sessions.
Compare that to W&M’s immediate suggestion of a medical withdrawal to a graduate student with good grades and no previous history of depression (aka me)! I said I was feeling depressed and wanted to transfer. Feeling depressed, not crazy or suicidal lol! I had to resist rolling my eyes at that comment.
(I apologize for the typos and rambling. I pulled an all-nighter due to work).
Sorry, forgot to quote this from the thread (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/1612619-suggestions-for-improving-the-uva-experience.html) you linked. OP did say after trying CAPS:
There were criticisms of how UVA CAPS could have been more responsive. They have an emergency hotline for extreme cases and try to schedule appointments based on severity. OP’s child was not scheduled for an immediate appointment.
So, I am not sure why CAPS told her that she was on her own, but it is possible that they evaluated her and determined that she was not clinically depressed or suicidal. CAPS referred to her a community support group, which makes sense if you are a normal and healthy.
There was one comment about UVA’s arrogant social atmosphere, which I am going to disregard because it is irrelevant to student health services and CAPS. (Most of the other commenters addressed this comment by talking about how UVA is rather inclusive despite that initial vibe).
@wahoowahoo, I’m not certain how much of the above is directed at my response to your original post. I hope you’ve made progress toward transferring to a graduate program that meets your expectations. I’m responding now to take exception to this:
Every suicide is one too many. However, the word “prevalence” means “predominant; widespread in a particular area.” This is CLEARLY not so at W&M, nor anywhere else. This kind of exaggeration, even if unintentional, is not conducive to a productive discussion about mental health resources for college students. Students have actually, and tragically, been murdered at UVA in recent years, yet surely you’d object to any notion that there is a “prevalence” of murder there.
I’ll state again that I believe W&M’s policies toward students with mental health issues are reasonable - and seem, on paper, quite similar to the offerings at UVA. The primary difference I see, when students in crisis need help after normal operating hours, is that UVA students phone the Health Center answering service, while W&M students phone the Campus Police. Some students may hesitate to phone the police (something W&M should consider, and probably has). Although in an emergency, it may be better to speak to first responders than an answering service.
I’m heartbroken to learn that another William and Mary student committed suicide very early Monday morning on April 13, 2015. He was a sophomore at William and Mary who had graduated first in his class from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia.
If you even think someone might be suicidal, please don’t judge, please help them get help.
EMERGENCY: Call 911
The Counseling Center: 221-3620
The Student Health Center: 221-4386
The W&M Police: 221-4596
The Dean of Students Office: 221-2510
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Interesting article in Newsweek
How Colleges Flunk Mental Health
http://www.newsweek.com/2014/02/14/how-colleges-flunk-mental-health-245492.html
I must be discriminatory in thinking that students with significant mental health problems could be better off not at school while their mental health problems are addressed. But I still think so. If, as the article states, “30 percent of college students reported feeling ‘so depressed that it was difficult to function’ at some time over the past year,” that is a LOT of people to care for/accommodate when your purported mission is something different: i.e., to provide an education for all students. And that’s a LOT of resources to make available, which are expensive.
I think there have been many unintended consequences of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I do see a difference between accommodating students who are deaf, blind, wheelchair-bound, undergoing chemo, etc., and students with significant mental illnesses whose disease might include self-harm, self-medicating with legal or illegal drugs, suicide attempts, harming others, etc. If colleges aren’t legally permitted to send those students home, does it then mean that they are liable for anything the student might do to him/herself and others? We seem to be suggesting that every time we reproach a school for a student’s suicide. So how does the school prevent those things from happening?
The schools criticized in the article for poor response to student needs include Princeton, UCSB, Brown, Sarah Lawrence, Yale, UC Berkeley, Amherst, Harvard, NYU, and BU. Many of these schools could afford to use endowment money to create state-of-the-art mental health facilities on campus, but I doubt they’ll go that route. How will the public schools afford it?
The Washington Post:
4th Suicide at William & Mary this year triggers concern about mental health
I’m heartbroken to learn of another student death at this school. My thoughts are with Paul’s family and friends.
I feel certain that the school will respond with increased effort to address the issue of student suicide. The article points out that the school is adding an after-hours call center and full-time psychiatrist now that the General Assembly has made the funds available.
One incident reported in the article linked - that of the grieving student who requested an extension and was refused - is at odds with my d3’s personal experience. When a close friend of hers, not a W&M student, was murdered in November 2010, she received extensions and incompletes in every class. Two of the professors in her major offered them to her before she even asked them.
Perhaps, but what do you do when they show up while you’re there? Many mental health issues make themselves known at 18 - 20. Often in the first year.
Then we try to stick it out, because who wants to drop out of their first semester? I think that’s where many of these problems arise.
suicide rates are lower among college students than the general population