Perhaps I am delusional, but I evidently remember back in highschool when professors and peers alike would rave about the freedom and mental space you unlock in college. During the hustle and bustle of senior year, everyone was preoccupied with thoughts relating to college relationships, having whatever they perceived as the euphoria experience and their eventual walks of shame. Not once did anyone address the potential for mental health issues to become exasperated or take root in college.
The highschool experience is a sham, at least for the folks in my local area. Most people simply looked towards college as a time liberated from the shackles of domestic and academic responsibility. It was through college they wished to become fully immersed in a delayed coming of age movie. The whole idea is that you are pursuing something of interest so you have time for yourself and feel sane right? Needless to say, I was absolutely alarmed by the amount of people within the first quarter going off the deep end.
To console myself, I assumed the mentality that mental health crises in college is not specific to Drexel but an international issue. As much as this mentality kept me safe, it was abundantly evident that the issues Drexel students face are unique, but common among other universities with quarter systems. Claiming that what Drexel students face has nothing to do with curriculums and structures on our campus is reductive.
Drexel does have mental health resources, such as a counseling center and various forms of therapy. This is a very promising resource for students, as it is free of charge. I can see how it can provide solace for pre-existing issues. In this regard, the benefits of the Counseling Center cannot be undermined. But does it truly help with students facing issues relating to the foundational academic systems and rigor at Drexel? Deeper conversations need to take place addressing the systemic factors fostering an afflicted student population for any large change to take place. This is a large ordeal, but not impossible. Ultimately it is promising that some changes are here at last in the form of the switch to semesters.