Just came across this article
So incredibly sad.
What are we doing to our young people?
Unspeakably sad.
We all need to let our children know that if the school or major isn’t feeling right, there’s another school/field that will be the right fit and it is ok to say so, look elsewhere, and that we, as parents, are there and will help. There is no shame in learning about yourself and making a move. May the too-short lives of these wonderful students save others.
My best friend’s daughter attends Columbia. Do you think I should share the article with her? If it were my child, I’d want to know, but this friend already is overwhelmed by other things in her life.
Mental health issues are a huge problem in teen and twenties, high achievers are more susceptible than average students. Colleges really need to up their game on counseling for mental health issues like they need to do about rapes. Two huge problems for college communities.
@rosered55 I’m sure her child’s life is a priority even when she has horrible things to deal with. My mom would yank the ventilator and push her death bed aside to hijack an ambulance to reach me if she felt there is a tiny harm in my way.
That’s what I’m worried might happen.
Are you sure she doesn’t already? I’d tell my parents if something like this happened at my school.
@rosered55 She’ll know through her child or school so it may be better coming from you with unconditional support.
Thank you! I’ll tell her.
@dragonmom3 – I think it’s crazy. I finally gave up on my anti-rigor jihad for D18 in HS because I was vetoed every step of the way (by the GC, the conventional wisdom of college admissions, etc.).
“Mental health issues are a huge problem in teen and twenties, high achievers are more susceptible than average students. Colleges really need to up their game on counseling for mental health issues like they need to do about rapes. Two huge problems for college communities.”
I totally agree @“Yalie 2011”
I know Columbia hired at least 12 new counselors in the last couple of years (one is my friend.) I work at a university and although this isn’t my area, its definitely on the minds of administrators. Besides hiring more counselors and increasing outreach and access to student health services, is there anything else you suggest? (This isn’t meant to be combative–I’m interested.)
I just have six words to say:
gap year
gap year
gap year
“I don’t fit in here — these students I’m surrounded with are so much smarter than me and so much better than me.”
This is just too sad. A university like Columbia can be a good fit for many students, but not for all students.
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Oh my gosh . . . seeing these kids’ names and pictures and stories - absolutely devastating. 
Sad story but a horrible click bait misleading headline. Not sure why you would lump ODs in with suicides. Headline says 7 but really it’s 2 “regular” students plus a 29 year old vet, an exchange student, and some ODs. This is not a suicide wave.
This should not happen on college campuses!
@notveryzen. Wow, just wow.
Mental illness–including depression–often first appears when people are young adults. I think it is sensationalistic to blame this on the rigor of the school, at least without a lot more information. It is, of course, valid to ask if the college has a good program for responding to mental health issues.
How sad. One common thread connecting most of these kids is that they came from locales very different from NYC.
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I say this as someone who has battled depression since my early teens: I really, REALLY encourage students and families to think long and hard before allowing a depressed student to go to a high-stress environment like Columbia.
I practice what I preach- I chose a lower ranked, lower stress undergrad and excelled there. Now that I’m a PhD student at the school I turned down, I am even more convinced I made the right decision.
A “prestigious” education isn’t worth your life. There is no shame in choosing a college that isn’t going to worsen your depression. It’s absolutely ok to weigh your health- physical and mental- when choosing where you’re going to live and study for 4+ years of your life.
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