Declining Student Resilience: A Serious Problem for Colleges - Polidicks

dear future teachers DO NOT FORCE SHY KIDS TO TALK. DO NOT TELL SHY KIDS THEY NEED TO PARTICIPATE MORE. DO NOT MAKE PARTICIPATION A GRADE. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS FOR SOME STUDENTS TO JUST RAISE THEIR HANDS? FORCING THEM INTO GROUP PROJECTS AND MAKING THEM TALK DOES NOT “TEACH THEM TO BE SOCIAL AND DEVELOP INTO WELL-ROUNDED INDIVIDUALS” IT SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF THEM. AND MAKES THEM HATE SCHOOL. SERIOUSLY. COLLEGES TOO. THERE IS NO REASON TO REQUIRE A PARTICIPATION GRADE. IF I’M MAKING 90′S ON ALL MY TESTS/QUIZZES IT MEANS I KNOW THE DAMN MATERIAL YOU TAUGHT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD YOU LOWER MY GRADE 10% JUST BECAUSE I DIDN’T TALK ENOUGH. I SWEAR IF I GET ANOTHER “B” IN A CLASS THAT I EXCELLED IN JUST BECAUSE I DIDNT FEEL LIKE RAISING MY HAND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS I MIGHT ACTUALLY KILL U · #rant #college #shy kids #growing up shy [editline]w[/editline] Don’t tell me that millennials are lazy, self-centered, unmotivated. Millennials are scared. I am scared of the police. I am scared of protesting in the streets because this time their wouldn’t be one Kent State, there would be dozens. I am scared because I do not want to see my black friends die. I am scared because no matter what we do, our voices go unheard and our steamroller government pushes ahead. I am scared because as a woman in 2014, there is still no guarantee of safety or equality. I am scared because if I hold a girl’s hand in public, we risk taunting, torture, discrimination, death. Millennials are overwhelmed. We have to fix global warming and marriage equality and racism and sexism and distribution of resources and world hunger and the energy crisis. Millennials are angry. In my time, they have murdered innocent black children, they have started illegal wars, they have limited the freedoms of multiple groups, and I voted on none of this. Millennials are trying. College costs $20,000-$50,000 per year in the United States. The job market is not reciprocal to our efforts. The older generations are biased against us. We feel backed into a corner. Don’t you dare tell me that Millennials are lazy. [highlight](User was permabanned for this post ("Gimmick" - Craptasket))[/highlight]

[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;48882215]That sounds like a legitimate case And college is also about networking[/QUOTE] I wasn't saying her case wasn't legit... just thought I'd share a problem that's serious amongst students. Albeit, a bit confusing, but legit.

[QUOTE=Pascall;48882132]I feel like they definitely plucked the worst, or tiniest problems they've had to deal with in the past to build up their point. But college and university can lead to a colossal amount of mental and physical health issues, boosted by strict deadlines, financial issues, work/school workload, and just overall stress. That's no lie. It's not always because a person is just "too weak" to deal with it. These few specific cases are just. Ridiculous enough for them to single out, I guess. I wish they hadn't. It really downplays the cases in which people, who were already likely having mental health issues, just on a smaller, more manageable scale, were suddenly pushed into overexposure by school and forced to acclimate. Idk it's a huge problem all around, but yeah, I doubt those two cases were simply cut and dry. Maybe the girl with the roommate had been facing consistent verbal or possibly physical abuse from this other girl. Maybe the people with the mouse in their room had severe phobias. Obviously, these are a bit of a guess, but you just never know. It's hard to say whether or not someone is valid in searching for help when you just don't know what's going on.[/QUOTE] Of course they picked the worst to illustrate their point, but College hasn't gotten significantly more stressful over the past five years, people are just seeking help more often. In the larger discussion about mental illness this is a big issue, how do you get people with legitimate issues to talk about it more while not wasting everyone's time by encouraging people with Munchausen syndrome or just those who are just overly sensitive. There's obviously real issues out there, but it doesn't mean every little complaint must have deeper psychological issues, sometimes it's just being a crybaby.

[QUOTE=thA-$bU$iNe$$;48882274]dear future teachers [/QUOTE] Is this a Tumblr post. [editline]11th October 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=Devodiere;48882297]Of course they picked the worst to illustrate their point, but [I]College hasn't gotten significantly more stressful over the past five years[/I], people are just seeking help more often. In the larger discussion about mental illness this is a big issue, how do you get people with legitimate issues to talk about it more while not wasting everyone's time by encouraging people with Munchausen syndrome or just those who are just overly sensitive. There's obviously real issues out there, but it doesn't mean every little complaint must have deeper psychological issues, sometimes it's just being a crybaby.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-fees-room-board-time-1974-75-2014-15-selected-years"]No, but it has gotten more expensive[/URL]. Which in and of itself is an added stressor. Not saying you're wrong, but there is definitely an issue with college itself when it continues to increase in tuition price and seems to have no signs of stopping.

Funny, my dad was telling me stories yesterday of when he was growing up as a kid spending time at his grandfathers house in the rural areas and all the crazy shit he did and if he raised me the same way in the millennial era the child protection agency would've come right for him. He's had a far more thrilling and adventurous childhood and adulthood than I could ever dream of. As a kid I wasn't even allowed to walk a block away from my house.

[QUOTE=thA-$bU$iNe$$;48882274]dear future teachers DO NOT FORCE SHY KIDS TO TALK. DO NOT TELL SHY KIDS THEY NEED TO PARTICIPATE MORE. DO NOT MAKE PARTICIPATION A GRADE. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS FOR SOME STUDENTS TO JUST RAISE THEIR HANDS? FORCING THEM INTO GROUP PROJECTS AND MAKING THEM TALK DOES NOT “TEACH THEM TO BE SOCIAL AND DEVELOP INTO WELL-ROUNDED INDIVIDUALS” IT SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF THEM. AND MAKES THEM HATE SCHOOL. SERIOUSLY. COLLEGES TOO. THERE IS NO REASON TO REQUIRE A PARTICIPATION GRADE. IF I’M MAKING 90′S ON ALL MY TESTS/QUIZZES IT MEANS I KNOW THE DAMN MATERIAL YOU TAUGHT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD YOU LOWER MY GRADE 10% JUST BECAUSE I DIDN’T TALK ENOUGH. I SWEAR IF I GET ANOTHER “B” IN A CLASS THAT I EXCELLED IN JUST BECAUSE I DIDNT FEEL LIKE RAISING MY HAND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS I MIGHT ACTUALLY KILL U · #rant #college #shy kids #growing up shy [editline]w[/editline] Don’t tell me that millennials are lazy, self-centered, unmotivated. Millennials are scared. I am scared of the police. I am scared of protesting in the streets because this time their wouldn’t be one Kent State, there would be dozens. I am scared because I do not want to see my black friends die. I am scared because no matter what we do, our voices go unheard and our steamroller government pushes ahead. I am scared because as a woman in 2014, there is still no guarantee of safety or equality. I am scared because if I hold a girl’s hand in public, we risk taunting, torture, discrimination, death. Millennials are overwhelmed. We have to fix global warming and marriage equality and racism and sexism and distribution of resources and world hunger and the energy crisis. Millennials are angry. In my time, they have murdered innocent black children, they have started illegal wars, they have limited the freedoms of multiple groups, and I voted on none of this. Millennials are trying. College costs $20,000-$50,000 per year in the United States. The job market is not reciprocal to our efforts. The older generations are biased against us. We feel backed into a corner. Don’t you dare tell me that Millennials are lazy.[/QUOTE] As a millennial, let me tell you HOW lazy I am. I get frustrated when my 50 Megabit internet is going at 45 Megabits. I get angry when the person driving in front of me is going 45, the speed limit, instead of going with the flow of traffic at 47. What justifies my frustration? Absolutely nothing. The millennial generation sucks. We did not have to subsistence farm to feed our family. We did not have to work in menial job[B]s[/B] so that we may have enough money for our dinner. We did not have to fight and die in wars that we had no choice in our participation. We did not have to watch our family members get a fever and die. The list goes on. My point is generations past have had less and have done more than our generation has done currently.[B] Edit:[/B] Also, shy people don't survive in the world. Being shy is no excuse for not raising your hand, or participating in a class. Anyone can answer a multiple choice test, and it shows nothing of your understanding. If you are truly understanding, you should be able to synthesis an argument or thesis and defend it verbally. Otherwise, you probably won't be getting a job because almost every job involves other people. Being shy is absolutely no excuse to not participate in school because it will only get harder in the real world.

[QUOTE=thA-$bU$iNe$$;48882274]Dumbshit.[/QUOTE] Yo what's with the hashtags and why are you typing like this it's really really annoying. Also capslock isn't really cruise control for cool.

[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;48881622]And here I am, thinking this may have been caused by legitimate, actual problems. How adorably naive of me.[/QUOTE] Well, it is. Sort of. All these problems stem from the very real issue of over-coddling from birth through grade school. We've raised a generation of man-children (and women-children, I suppose) who don't understand how to live by the time they get to college. People need to deal with some kind of adversity or strife in their developmental years, or you get people that can't deal with it at all. As far as that guy above with his "dear teachers" manifesto, I was a shy kid throughout most of grade school. Then I got to college, and I was forced to participate, and I realized that participation and interaction wasn't that bad. And then I realized that I'd need to have those skills if I wanted to actually make something out of my degree. So I stopped being so shy and anxious and I started talking to people, and now I can interview people without a second thought. So yes, it might hurt at first, but if you're forced to participate, eventually you'll get used to it and you'll find out how much better a person you are for it.

[QUOTE=thA-$bU$iNe$$;48882274]dear future teachers[/QUOTE] That reminds me of the problems that come from raising/not raising your arm. Teachers used to say my participation was crap, so I started raising my arm more. After that, teachers said I had difficulty in their classes because I raised my arm a lot. I just stopped giving a shit about school from the 9th grade onwards because of how fucking anal everything was and how fucking easy it was to deduct points from you. Special hate shout out for those tests that required you to give answers that needed an essay long answer for each bloody question. Those things were the bane of tests for me.

[QUOTE=Pascall;48882301][URL="http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-fees-room-board-time-1974-75-2014-15-selected-years"]No, but it has gotten more expensive[/URL]. Which in and of itself is an added stressor. Not saying you're wrong, but there is definitely an issue with college itself when it continues to increase in tuition price and seems to have no signs of stopping.[/QUOTE] From what they're writing in the article, I very much doubt that increasing cost is of any real significance to their mental health. [quote]“Families often expect campuses to provide immediate, sophisticated, and sustained mental-health care. After all, most parents are still adjusting to the idea that their children no longer come home every night, and many want colleges to keep an eye on their kids, just as they did. Students, too, want colleges to give them the help they need, when they need it. And they need a lot. Rates of anxiety and depression among American college students have soared in the last decade, and many more students than in the past come to campus already on medication for such illnesses. The number of students with suicidal thoughts has risen as well. Some are dealing with serious issues, such as psychosis, which typically presents itself in young adulthood, just when students are going off to college. Many others, though, are struggling with what campus counselors say are the usual stresses of college life: bad grades, breakups, being on their own for the first time. And they are putting a strain on counseling centers.”[/quote] Even if Colleges were made free, these stresses would still exist and you would have the same problem as now. There's obviously some other issue at play that needs to be addressed far more than tuition costs.

[QUOTE=NoobieWafer223;48882280]I wasn't saying her case wasn't legit... just thought I'd share a problem that's serious amongst students. Albeit, a bit confusing, but legit.[/QUOTE] The way you worded it just made it unclear of your position on it

[QUOTE=Devodiere;48882410]From what they're writing in the article, I very much doubt that increasing cost is of any real significance to their mental health. Even if Colleges were made free, these stresses would still exist and you would have the same problem as now. There's obviously some other issue at play that needs to be addressed far more than tuition costs.[/QUOTE] I wouldn't rule it out though, even if it's not explicitly stated in the article. Personally, a good chunk of my own stress stems from financial issues, as well as college upkeep. Though I don't disagree that there are other issues.

[QUOTE=Timof2009;48882364]As a millennial, let me tell you HOW lazy I am. I get frustrated when my 50 Megabit internet is going at 45 Megabits. I get angry when the person driving in front of me is going 45, the speed limit, instead of going with the flow of traffic at 47. What justifies my frustration? Absolutely nothing. The millennial generation sucks. We did not have to subsistence farm to feed our family. We did not have to work in menial job[B]s[/B] so that we may have enough money for our dinner. We did not have to fight and die in wars that we had no choice in our participation. We did not have to watch our family members get a fever and die. The list goes on. My point is generations past have had less and have done more than our generation has done currently. My recommendation isn't to go on tumblr.[/QUOTE] I hate the people who constantly remind you that "back in their days, everything was different" My friend's mom has been on the verge of kicking him out of his own home a bunch of times already, because its "easy" to get another house to live in. Guess what, it fucking isn't. Best outcome out of that would be him having maybe less than 200 euros a month spare to do whatever he wanted, and thats a big if. Times have changed. Things aren't what they used to be. Right now, you can't buy or build a house with pocket lint like before, and actually getting into a good job is hard because of how borderline anal companies are about who they hand out even their lowest positions to, which means you might aswell think about the crappiest job you can find. Want to study? Prepare to pay out the ass for it, and then pay the loans with the cash you got from working at the local supermarket.

[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;48881718]Force these people to live on a farm for a few months. All problems resolved.[/QUOTE] pfffffft I saw dead rat with it's orgrans out on the sidewalk on my way to get something to eat yea it grossed me out a bit but I still ate,.

I feel like this is sorta related: [url]http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/[/url]

[quote] Recent examples mentioned included a student who felt traumatized because her roommate had called her a “bitch”[/quote] so those campaigns to get people to stop saying bitch only ended up disempowering those who are targets of it? wow i am shocked

I think it comes from a sense of entitlement and shit, people in America love victims so every time something bad happens "omg you victimized me, oh btw where is my compensation." Literally anytime something goes wrong in some peoples lives they take meaningless and minor issues as if they're life and death. People just need to learn how to manage their time right and focus on what is important. Stop freaking out because you left work till last minute and you can't attended your bff becky's sweet sixteen.

[QUOTE=No_Excuses;48881981]Trade and tech schools will get you a job before many college degrees. People think college is the only solution post graduation but it's the worst solution for many. Also uni can be stressful as fuck. Living away from home for the first time, taking care of yourself, challenging courses. At least if you're there to get a degree and not just party your tuition away.[/QUOTE] If you do drop out of college, I suggest and Apprenticeship. Not only will you learn part of a sort of high paying job, you also get fucking paid to learn it. [editline]11th October 2015[/editline] The problem with entitlement is it all comes down to the way humanity just is. When you dangle something in front of us for a long enough time, and yank it away, we get incredibly pissed because now the norm has changed and something new is upon us. Things weren't as good as before, when that thing was dangling in front of us, so we get pissed.

I thought this was gonna address stuff like the deep existential dread I get that I'm never gonna be good enough at anything I like to live off of it and ultimately be doomed to living in misery which only furthers the vicious circle of apathy I currently experience from which I try to distract myself with drugs and video games. Sorry, what were we talking about again?

[QUOTE=Devodiere;48882410]From what they're writing in the article, I very much doubt that increasing cost is of any real significance to their mental health. Even if Colleges were made free, these stresses would still exist and you would have the same problem as now. There's obviously some other issue at play that needs to be addressed far more than tuition costs.[/QUOTE] The cost is the biggest thing that stresses me out, because now not only is failure of a class a hefty thing to deal with, any chances of it being character-building goes right out the door when you have to pay a shitload for one class. I have student loans and I have failed classes, and I'm not thinking, "Oh, well I'll just do better next time," I'm thinking "Holy shit I just wasted a ton of money." And you know what I'm thinking as I'm taking classes now? "Holy shit I don't want to waste a ton of money." I've become afraid of the bill, not the failure itself.

This shit aggreivates me. I suffer from Anxiety and Depression issues but I could only meet with counseling services [I]once a month[/I] because someone had their pasta given to them the wrong way. It got to the point where I was meeting the guy handling me during his off hours because it was easier for the both of us. I'm still having issues now even when I'm back home due to the debt alone. [editline]12th October 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=wauterboi;48883279]The cost is the biggest thing that stresses me out, because now not only is failure of a class a hefty thing to deal with, any chances of it being character-building goes right out the door when you have to pay a shitload for one class. I have student loans and I have failed classes, and I'm not thinking, "Oh, well I'll just do better next time," I'm thinking "Holy shit I just wasted a ton of money." And you know what I'm thinking as I'm taking classes now? "Holy shit I don't want to waste a ton of money." I've become afraid of the bill, not the failure itself.[/QUOTE] That's pretty much me right now, I should be working an internship but they entire thign was handled so pisspoorly over the summer that I've mentally shut down in the face of it. At this point dropping out would be preferable to me but I've already paid the money, but I'm also very behind. It fucking sucks, I wish I could just have my diploma since I've completed everything else but the internship.

Reading messages like this sketches the image 50% of the college students in the USA have anxiety and need counseling. Because life is scary and they dont know what stress is. I get the feeling that a lot of mental health issues are not issues at all and just character traits and people being pussy's. And this is detrimental to the people who actually have a real mental health issue. It might just be me, but here in the Netherlands I do not know anyone who goes to counceling during UNI exept for my nephew who has autism. Then again its a technical UNI so that might cause a difference. I dont know.

[QUOTE=Sableye;48881776]I have a pair of fucking squirrels above my bathroom, I wish I could kill them, and I've complained to my building manager plenty [editline]11th October 2015[/editline] Also ya there's some unusual skills people are missing but the same case has been leveled at every generation, go watch revenge of the nerds, the same issues mentioned here, codified into a movie that's almost 30 years old[/QUOTE] Yet there is still definite contextual progression. Millennials have tested as the most narcissistic generation yet, eclipsing even baby boomers and P80s, and the inability to deal with even the most mundane issues without having to be counciled and coddled is definitely more severe than it has been in the past. The "children" are being taught they they are both uniquely special simply by dint of their existence by Blackhawk parents and that they will simply get things handed to them for the same set of reasons. [quote] college and university can lead to a colossal amount of mental and physical health issues [/quote] If you can't handle a [I]sample[/I] of what life outside the confines of your parent/s' house is like, the chances of you getting to a productive state are pretty low to begin with, it doesn't bode particularly well for any career involving competition or performance based meritocratic practices, aka just about any job in tech or entertainment or STEM. Pretty sure most of the professional tumblr raconteurs are filled. The other face of the coin is most colleges aren't interested in [I]teaching[/I] as much as they are interested in proffering poltical agendas and maintaining hefty profits in the face of competition from other learning venues with faster return rates and "guaranteed" placement post diploma.

[QUOTE=27X;48884993] If you can't handle a [I]sample[/I] of what life outside the confines of your parent/s' house is like, the chances of you getting to a productive state are pretty low to begin with, it doesn't bode particularly well for any career involving competition or performance based meritocratic practices, aka just about any job in tech or entertainment or STEM. Pretty sure most of the professional tumblr raconteurs are filled. [/QUOTE] Nicely worded.

Some of the problem stems, I think, from how people are rushed into a four year school before they've even finished high school. They still don't know what the fuck they want to do with their lives and still have the mentality and maturity of a teenager. That certainly isn't helping either. [QUOTE=No_Excuses;48881981]Trade and tech schools will get you a job before many college degrees. People think college is the only solution post graduation but it's the worst solution for many. Also uni can be stressful as fuck. Living away from home for the first time, taking care of yourself, challenging courses. At least if you're there to get a degree and not just party your tuition away.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure he meant college as 'post-secondary education', the more general phrasing, rather than the traditional two or four year joint. [editline]12th October 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=27X;48884993] If you can't handle a [I]sample[/I] of what life outside the confines of your parent/s' house is like, the chances of you getting to a productive state are pretty low to begin with, it doesn't bode particularly well for any career involving competition or performance based meritocratic practices, aka just about any job in tech or entertainment or STEM. [/quote] Oh definitely. I feel like I was lucky to have parents that gave me a bicycle and an ultimatum once I hit 9 or 10 years old. It was simple, two parts. A: You may wander up to one mile from home B: You must be home by dusk. That was it. They let me roam the Tennessee countryside as I saw fit within those two simple guidelines. I credit that, at least in part, with me being halfway decent at figuring shit out on my own. That, and the fact that my dad was all too happy to foster my early childhood interest in fixing cars to the point that today I'm actively working towards getting several ASE certifications while my mom was all too happy to allow this as it meant the family saved a fortune on auto repair bills. It also helps that, somewhere along the line, self-reliance became a virtue I hold sacred, almost to a fault at times. I'll accept help if I need it but I'm not going to go out and ask for it until I've exhausted absolutely every avenue I have to solve it myself. [quote]The other face of the coin is most colleges aren't interested in [I]teaching[/I] as much as they are interested in proffering poltical agendas and maintaining hefty profits in the face of competition from other learning venues with faster return rates and "guaranteed" placement post diploma.[/QUOTE] Dunno what problem's harder to solve, that or these useless kids coming into them.

[QUOTE=TestECull;48885243]Oh definitely. I feel like I was lucky to have parents that gave me a bicycle and an ultimatum once I hit 9 or 10 years old. It was simple, two parts. A: You may wander up to one mile from home B: You must be home by dusk. That was it. They let me roam the Tennessee countryside as I saw fit within those two simple guidelines. I credit that, at least in part, with me being halfway decent at figuring shit out on my own. That, and the fact that my dad was all too happy to foster my early childhood interest in fixing cars to the point that today I'm actively working towards getting several ASE certifications while my mom was all too happy to allow this as it meant the family saved a fortune on auto repair bills. [/QUOTE] Huh, I had no idea you were from around here. [I]Go Vols?[/I]

Seriously? Well....I somehow now understand why some companies and people value so much those who come from countries like Argentina....makes sense, sort of, with this article... [QUOTE] That was it. They let me roam the Tennessee countryside as I saw fit within those two simple guidelines. I credit that, at least in part, with me being halfway decent at figuring shit out on my own. That, and the fact that my dad was all too happy to foster my early childhood interest in fixing cars to the point that today I'm actively working towards getting several ASE certifications while my mom was all too happy to allow this as it meant the family saved a fortune on auto repair bills.[/QUOTE] Sounds like you had some awesome parents. I also wanted to do something related to mechanic repairs buuuut "No you must become an economist" so no financial aid nor support for that...

[QUOTE=27X;48884993]If you can't handle a [I]sample[/I] of what life outside the confines of your parent/s' house is like, the chances of you getting to a productive state are pretty low to begin with, it doesn't bode particularly well for any career involving competition or performance based meritocratic practices, aka just about any job in tech or entertainment or STEM. Pretty sure most of the professional tumblr raconteurs are filled.[/QUOTE] hey, if they were raised as a generation with ricepaper thin stress management then less competition for me

[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;48886598]hey, if they were raised as a generation with ricepaper thin stress management then less competition for me[/QUOTE] Hahahahha exactly. What nobody mentioned here.

[QUOTE=Cutthecrap;48886621]Hahahahha exactly. What nobody mentioned here.[/QUOTE] I'll likely be berrated for this by the majority of this thread, but hey, fuck it. Why is it so easy to just be like "Lol those kids failed, fuck em, throw em under the bus"? Like I get it, they suck, they failed, they're garbage and they're never going to be as good as you or I but what the fuck is the point in lacking that empathy? They were raised like that. I don't know about you, but if you were raised in a certain way, it is fucking hard to break those deeply ingrained feelings and thoughts. I mean, blame them all you want but that's pretty callous and at least from you where you try and seem like you have a semblance of empathy in most of your posts, how do you and many others here just seem to not care? What? They should just bootstraps themselves out of emotional ineffectiveness?