My kid thinks of Cornell as “the suicide school” and will not consider it for that reason. Anyone know of any write-ups I could use to show that this isn’t true. Maybe something that shows suicide rates for several different schools. I searched and couldn’t find anything. Thx.
There are plenty of other schools… why bother?
@inparent
That’s off topic and I don’t want to get into it.
This is an interesting article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/16/suicide-rate-mit-higher-than-national-average/1aGWr7lRjiEyhoD1WIT78I/story.html
Cornell, as are a lot of other top universities, can be stressful. My D is a Jr there now, and, while admits to academic stress at times, loves it. Great time management skills are very helpful. Good luck!
I haven’t researched it, but just note it is a large school and the largest Ivy, so purely by numbers there could be more than there are in smaller schools. There may be no differences if you look at percentages.
If he doesn’t want to go, don’t make him. Shouldn’t be a problem, nor should it be complicated. This is his 4 years, not yours. This is his future, not yours. This is his decision, not yours.
I volunteered for Ithaca’s Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services, so I am very passionate about eliminating this incredibly misleading stigma surrounding our school. Here’s something I posted on another thread asking the same thing:
Cornell does NOT have a large amount of suicides. Not recently, not in the past, and almost definitely not in the future. There are very few suicides in the Ithaca area compared to other towns of its size. The problem is that often when people do take their lives in Ithaca, they do so by jumping into the gorges, which is very dramatic and very public. When people quietly take their lives in their own home, it is not publicized. When someone jumps off a bridge and there are potential witnesses, or at least people wake up to the sound of ambulances, it is widely known. However, most of the people who do kill themselves in Ithaca are NOT CORNELL STUDENTS. Many are from out of town or are adults living in the Ithaca area. People often make jokes about the nets surrounding the gorges, but they are there for safety and preventative measures. It’s not like people jump off all the time. It happens very rarely.
@Ranza123 is correct, and I think there is another thread on this topic somewhere on CC. This thread talks about it also. I know, cuz I commented on it.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19194775/#Comment_19194775
Admittedly, when I read that I automatically thought of MIT.
@Ranza123 - be passionate about saving lives and preventing suicide. The messaging of the suicide issue (you called it the “stigma”) should not be your passion.
@ClarinetDad16 Of course I am passionate about preventing suicide. One of Suicide Prevention’s other concerns is addressing the stigma surrounding suicide: letting people know that it’s okay to talk about suicidal thoughts, but also letting people know that the stress of going to Cornell doesn’t lead everyone to kill themselves.
@TiggyB62 , @BigRedLongAgo, @Ranza123 Thanks for for helpful information!
@Ranza123 - you concerned me again in your second post:
“letting people know that the stress of Cornell doesn’t lead EVERYONE to kill themselves.”
(I added the CAPS for emphasis)
This is a serious issue with lives in the balance.
Thank you for supporting the cause and volunteering.
I don’t believe you are optimally communicating the situation and the action plan.