rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3060
Reg: 10-20-14
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09-06-17 01:41 PM - Post#232666
In response to penn nation
With regards to depression, anxiety, and suicide, many of these individuals do not show signs before they leave home. For those who are affected at an earlier age, many consciously or subconsciously, hide their symptoms and behaviors from those closest to them.
Whether depression and suicide is a growing problem or one that has become more publicly reported, it is important for everyone concerned to be willing to make it a less stigmatized issue. It is necessary for family, friends, teachers, administrators, clergy, and other community members to know the signs and symptoms, and be willing to reach out to those who may need our help. For those that may not be comfortable or experienced enough to deal with someone directly, there are experts and advocates in most communities available to assist.
At Penn, one group that can help is Active Minds. This national student organization was started by a Penn junior in the early 2000s after her brother ended his own life.
http://www.activeminds.org/about/our-story
While I am sure there are students that do thrive in a hyper-competitive environment, most, even those at elite private universities, do not. As a result, parents, students, and schools need to continue working on ways to reduce the pressure for these young adults.
For parents, we need to help students choose the right school(s) for them where they can succeed without pushing themselves to unhealthy extremes. Many times, those schools are not the ones at the top of the US World & News Report rankings.
With regards to Penn's Admissions Department, I understand that there is a constant pressure to decrease acceptance percentage while increasing yield rates. However, the school's push to fill as much of the class as possible in the Early Decision process is not helpful. It forces many students to make a rather quick decision in choosing a school that may not be the one for them. Not only do the financial options improve for many high school students in the Regular Decision process, but the extra few months away from the application frenzy gives most 17 or 18 year old students a little more maturity and perspective on their future.
With regards to extra-curricular clubs, there are many at elite schools, like Penn, that are highly selective. Last fall, the Wharton Council placed new requirements in recruiting for Wharton clubs, in response to feedback from first-years and transfer students. In the spring, the UA and SAC partnered to place requirements on student groups. These results of these requirements need to be evaluated to determine if more changes are needed.
http://www.thedp.com/article/2016/09/new-r ules-for...
http://www.thedp.com/article/2017/03/new-r ules-cha...
I'm sure there are more things to discuss, but I will end my rant for the time being ......
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