School and Mental Health

As most of us know, Boston University is a highly renowned institution. There’s cutting edge research and opportunities, and the city of Boston at our disposal. BU provides a lot of connections and opens a lot of doors by being such a renowned institution. Since it is such a big institution though, I feel as though more focus is placed on the numbers and overarching statistics, rather than on the students as people. It is great that BU pushes us to be competitive and independent, but at the end of the day a lot of us are investing a lot into being here so feeling more heard and cared about as a student doesn’t seem like a big ask. Many of the faculty here are doing great things in their research, but sometimes that hinders their ability to act as an advisor for us. Through my own experiences and through those I have heard from other students, many people feel they are not getting the proper help from their advisors. Most advisors seem to barely answer their advisees emails, or if they do they seem to brush over what they have to say. We are all becoming adults here so independence is important, but a little aid here or there could save many students’ mental health from suffering. BU seems to try to hear what the students have to say when it’s convenient for them, and on the few occasions they do take action it is usually just a band aid solution. Missions like the ones of the Mental Health Committee are important so that students can keep advocating for themselves to be heard. Being smart, successful, and independent is a huge part of being a terrier, but it should not be at the expense of mental well-being in times when it can and should be addressed.