> I have seen a dozen people shuffled off to McLean or just kicked out for years until they could convince MIT to let them back in. In all but one case I think MIT overreacted and significantly damaged those individual's lives by isolating instead of supporting them
can you list some examples? I had to see a Medical Center counselor (who I didn't like that much) for therapy for a couple semesters, but in general I thought the support offered was well-intentioned and appropriate.
> You know you've seen it too.
I saw some of that ('06), but always thought those people were idiots.
I don't think it would be appropriate to name names. I also used MIT Mental Health, and don't think just using them was sufficient. The problems from my point of view were when someone withdrew from school for a semester due to whatever problem (death in the family, depression, overwork, etc) and couldn't get back in.
In at least one case it took 8 years to get back in, on average I'd guess 2-3 years of forced unenrollment. The one I think was the best off was the one who just gave up on the nonsense and went to a different university where he subsequently graduated with honors, probably also with a lot less stress.
My school (RPI) did something similar with me. I went to health services and asked for help with regards to my mental health. They told me that I needed to drop out and take a full semester off, then attend a community college and consider coming back in a year.
I refused to do this, and they refused to treat me. (I graduated a year later with high honors and a job offer from Google.)
1) I disagree entirely that this is good preparation for most people. Maybe if you go into academia, but not for the vast majority of graduates. In what I see as the real world, the ability to self-regulate your work load (which is a learned skill) and not fall into the trap of fetishizing working ridiculously hard is critical for long term stability. And I say this as someone who finished my PhD at 26. I didn't do it by working in unhealthy ways, and I sure didn't do it by doing every assignment I was given regardless of cost to my mental health. I did it by working healthy and asking for help when I needed it.
2) Surely you're aware of what happens to any undergraduate in our era who admitted to the administration that they were depressed. I have seen a dozen people shuffled off to McLean or just kicked out for years until they could convince MIT to let them back in. In all but one case I think MIT overreacted and significantly damaged those individual's lives by isolating instead of supporting them.
3) I think the biggest issue wrt stress is that undergraduates compete for who has the worst workload. I see it again and again, and it is insane to me. I honestly think a good portion of undergrads, either intentionally or subconsciously, practice horrible work habits just so that later on they can boast about how they finished a 40 hour lab in a three day no-sleep stretch. You know you've seen it too.
4) Depression != Stress. Admitting you're depressed is already hard. Admitting you're depressed when everyone around you is stressed out is a whole other level.