Professor here -- curious to hear parents' perspective on this

[Anonymous]

Even before Covid, I noticed an increase in serious mental health challenges among both undergrad and grad students in my classes and in the department as a whole. Based on conversations with colleagues, it seems to be occurring across the university. The university has some pretty good resources in place and the messaging from higher admin emphasizes supporting the students. But what I struggle with is maintaining standards. I have students who basically stop showing up to class, citing anxiety. They do not complete the work and do not do well on tests. In classes with papers instead of tests, they fail to turn the papers in. I have fairly generous makeup policies and let students drop their lowest test in the exam based courses. I try to use a variety of assessments so students' final grades do not depend on one or two very large assignments.

I reach out to the students who are not showing up and not turning in work and try to offer ways to help them get back on track. I also try to connect them to university mental health resources. But in many cases they either don't respond or want to try to make up work when it is way too late to turn things around. Even if I give them the opportunity to make up most of the work, it's just too much for them after getting so behind. Even giving a grade of Incomplete usually just delays the inevitable, as the challenges that were preventing the students from doing the work in the first place are often still in place a few months later. It just seems like a good proportion of these students would be better off withdrawing from courses rather than getting behind, feeling stressed about that, and still not ending up with a good grade in the end.

I personally think the biggest problem is that there is no good mechanism for students to recognize that college isn't working out at this time and to get their money back. The university doesn't allow a tuition refund unless the student drops quite early in the semester, before the student fully realizes they aren't keeping up. So the student feels like they have to stick with it because they have already paid for it, which I understand. It just feels like a problem with no real solution. I can't just pretend that my classes don't require any work for students experiencing mental health difficulties and give them a passing grade they haven't earned. I worry that the "it's ok not to be ok" messaging is leading some of them to believe it's ok to just stop communicating for weeks/months and that somehow it will all work out later. That is not reality in college nor is it the reality in the workplace.

Do you kids' universities have any effective solutions to this problem? I can't see my university changing their policy around tuition refunds but maybe some of us faculty need to start pushing for it somehow.

[Anonymous]

Tuition gets complicated with kids on financial aid. Plus, it's not just about tuition, but the transcript as well - as I understand it, after drop/add period ends, any course withdrawal would be a W.

Also keep in mind the length of time it can take to even get an appointment with a provider, let alone find a treating solution and make headway on that path. And ruling out underlying medical stuff, which often people don't do. It all takes quite a lot of time.

Sorry OP, I have no solutions to offer. I do have a kid at a selective university struggling with various issues including anxiety and attention, major mystery physical issues underlying the situation, trying to get to the bottom. Insomnia and fatigue have been devastating. I know she isn't alone - just the other day she met someone who was struggling through last semester, ended up finding the solution (happened to be medical) over the summer, and is now doing great. Gives us hope, though there is a sense that something is off with health in this generation.

What might be nice: an easier process for a semester or year off from the university without having to fully withdraw/reapply.

[Anonymous]

Adding to the problem is that kids have been virtual for over a year. My current college first year didn’t have the ramp up that senior year gives, where kids are learning how to juggle academics, social activities and gpa. They didn’t do the writing and group work to prepare them for the college rigor.

You likely are describing my kid, btw. I wish I had answers and commend you for seeking insight here. I know that my kid thinks she can salvage her gpa in the next semester. She also switched her major and even dropped a class when she realized it wasn’t working. I think involving their advisor, who should be able to see what is happening in other classes, could help. Some schools (most?) are not prepared to provide the added support needed for these kids.

I’ve seem a statistic that says upwards of 30% drop out/switch schools, but we don’t talk about that.

I think you are seeing a growing trend that, even though was happening ore-COVID, is definitely on the rise now. As a parent, I tended to think I didn’t need to be as involved once she went to college. And she doesn’t want me involved, so there’s that. It really does come down to the school helping to counsel them out, if that is the best path, or find ways to engage them.

I know the CTCL schools get a lot of criticism on this board, but this is where those added benefits weigh in. Smaller schools can be better for kids who otherwise are invisible on large campuses. Having a professor like yourself who can take the time to reach out, work with admin, etc, can make a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

I have a child at UVA who has struggled with mental health issues.

To be perfectly blunt, some reasonable accommodations are appropriate. But there comes a time where if a student is that dramatically incapacitated, they need to withdraw until they can function again. And also, you cannot allow someone with mental illnesses to use it as a crutch.

There are limits to accommodations. At some point, there have to be natural consequences, and they may not always be pleasant.

I mean, in the work world there will be limits to tolerance for this behavior.

[Anonymous]

During our campus visits, some schools discussed how they intervene if they feel someone is falling between the cracks. One said that the Dean of Students has been known to knock on a kid's dorm room door if teachers are reporting a patterns of not showing up for class. I found that reassuring (though my daughther did not seem like the type who would do that...still college was new for all of us).

I think people have to realize that health comes first. And people disabled by mental illness are sick. If your kid had cancer, you would not be worrying about their transcript. (I hope). Depression and eating disorders can have fatal consequences. If a child is too stricken to do their job (i.e. go to class, complete assignments), then they need intensive treatment and perhaps to take a break from college. Parents have to come to grips with that.
This sh#! is real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child at UVA who has struggled with mental health issues.

To be perfectly blunt, some reasonable accommodations are appropriate. But there comes a time where if a student is that dramatically incapacitated, they need to withdraw until they can function again. And also, you cannot allow someone with mental illnesses to use it as a crutch.

There are limits to accommodations. At some point, there have to be natural consequences, and they may not always be pleasant.

I mean, in the work world there will be limits to tolerance for this behavior.

NP. Thank you for posting this, PP, especially as you have the perspective of a parent with a child who has been in the boat the OP describes, possibly.

The part I put into bold is a particular concern, to me. I'm glad colleges are so much more attuned to students' mental health needs now than in the past, and I'm glad colleges are, to be blunt, cutting more slack (perhaps I should say, providing more opportunities to get help/make up work) than in the past. But the issue of preparation for the working world is a very real issue indeed. Employers are not going to be remotely as understanding. Yes, employers also are more attuned to mental health issues but are also going to handle those through health insurance, wellness programs and human resources offices, and without the repeated chances at fixing problematic work product. My DC is in college now, and does not have mental health issues, but is a "mother hen" to several friends who deal with issues like the professor OP describes. And I despair for those kids' mental health once they're employed somewhere that won't accept anxiety as a reason for missing work or not completing work products or tasks. I am NOT dismissing anxiety-- it's real. But like PP says--there will be limits to what the working world will do, and these students could get a horrible awakening. Not sure what the solution is, other than, as OP notes, making it easier to withdraw and regroup, and easier to re-enter college at the same point where one left, in terms of credits etc.

[Anonymous]

I have a child who had severe mental health issues during Covid. Now college frosh. I paid out of pocket something like $600 for an insurance policy to cover my tuition fees in the event that our child has to take time off. The college advertised this to me. Perhaps this type of insurance should be more widespread. Agree wi PPs about need to maintain standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child at UVA who has struggled with mental health issues.

To be perfectly blunt, some reasonable accommodations are appropriate. But there comes a time where if a student is that dramatically incapacitated, they need to withdraw until they can function again. And also, you cannot allow someone with mental illnesses to use it as a crutch.

There are limits to accommodations. At some point, there have to be natural consequences, and they may not always be pleasant.

I mean, in the work world there will be limits to tolerance for this behavior.

+1 you can’t lower your standards. If people aren’t up to it, for one reason or another, they need to make choices.

Perhaps relatedly, this is why I hate people trying to get into the “best“ ppossible school – sometimes people are better off being higher up the food chain at a school a step down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child at UVA who has struggled with mental health issues.

To be perfectly blunt, some reasonable accommodations are appropriate. But there comes a time where if a student is that dramatically incapacitated, they need to withdraw until they can function again. And also, you cannot allow someone with mental illnesses to use it as a crutch.

There are limits to accommodations. At some point, there have to be natural consequences, and they may not always be pleasant.

I mean, in the work world there will be limits to tolerance for this behavior.

+1 you can’t lower your standards. If people aren’t up to it, for one reason or another, they need to make choices.

Perhaps relatedly, this is why I hate people trying to get into the “best“ ppossible school – sometimes people are better off being higher up the food chain at a school a step down.

PP here — I say this as someone who has worked in academic environments, and as someone who has two DSs, one who is at the tippy top school and can handle it, and one who is doing well but consciously chose a school a step down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:During our campus visits, some schools discussed how they intervene if they feel someone is falling between the cracks. One said that the Dean of Students has been known to knock on a kid's dorm room door if teachers are reporting a patterns of not showing up for class. I found that reassuring (though my daughther did not seem like the type who would do that...still college was new for all of us).

I think people have to realize that health comes first. And people disabled by mental illness are sick. If your kid had cancer, you would not be worrying about their transcript. (I hope). Depression and eating disorders can have fatal consequences. If a child is too stricken to do their job (i.e. go to class, complete assignments), then they need intensive treatment and perhaps to take a break from college. Parents have to come to grips with that.
This sh#! is real.

I doubt THE Dean of Students is doing this. It's probably an RA or lower staff member. Still, people here complain about administrative bloat and they expect this amount of personal attention?

[Anonymous]

Another professor here and I hear you.

We have early alert processes but I don't find that strangers reaching out to students has any success in getting them to respond.

I share you experiments in futility but I continue to reach out. Stuff like "Hi Student, I've noticed you haven't come to the pats 5 classes. Are you ok? Do you need my help to get back on track?" has a decent track record of pulling some back if I follow through. But there are many who are just...disengaged. Those aren't gonna come back around, and I think at at certain point it's damaging to keep contacting them, so I let admin know and stop after a while.

There are a lot of reasons kids these days are more anxious and affected by poor mental health. High up on that list is that we're pushing more kids to the college path that perhaps are not equipped. No judgement there, but it obviously results in seeing more issues show up in college. I think its also more acceptable to talk about mental health, so we hear more about this instead of students just completely ghosting.

I do feel for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child at UVA who has struggled with mental health issues.

To be perfectly blunt, some reasonable accommodations are appropriate. But there comes a time where if a student is that dramatically incapacitated, they need to withdraw until they can function again. And also, you cannot allow someone with mental illnesses to use it as a crutch.

There are limits to accommodations. At some point, there have to be natural consequences, and they may not always be pleasant.

I mean, in the work world there will be limits to tolerance for this behavior.

+1 you can’t lower your standards. If people aren’t up to it, for one reason or another, they need to make choices.

Perhaps relatedly, this is why I hate people trying to get into the “best“ ppossible school – sometimes people are better off being higher up the food chain at a school a step down.

PP here — I say this as someone who has worked in academic environments, and as someone who has two DSs, one who is at the tippy top school and can handle it, and one who is doing well but consciously chose a school a step down.

Yep! My older child is quite capable but went to a pressure cooker high school and intentionally stepped down for college. She went somewhere intellectual but not T20 and not a pressure cooker. She has almost all A’s now (in her soon year). She feels stimulated by the environmentbut not overwhelmed or feeling the need to compete. She is doing what she loves and learning to learn, not to get A’s. Beat choice ever!

[Anonymous]

PP here. She has a history of anxiety and depression that was largely resolved before college. Campus isolation due to Covid (and one semester fully online because of Covid) brought some of that back, but she bounced back this year with in person.

[Anonymous]

Another professor here to chime in. OP, I haven't figured out the answer yet, but I share in your concern. Teaching has become a whole different experience in light of where my students are mentally. I do try to maintain high standards but worry that I'm relaxing them too much in the interest of being supportive/accommodating. Part of the issue is that the narrative of the university is slanted heavily in favor of being "extra" supportive -- so we won't be supported if/when we draw the line. It's a real problem and doesn't ultimately serve students well.

[Anonymous]

I don't think I they should get their tuition back, because then you'll see more slacking off.

I think part of the problem is that many kids are loaded with tutors in high school. Then they get into a top school and they're on their own. I think parents shouldn't start the tutoring in the first place so that kids end up in colleges they can handle and they learn to count on themselves.