When Less is More
Depression on college campuses has become the academic zeitgeist. Yet, I am struck by how colleges are addressing it: treating the symptoms rather than the cause. Many colleges have tried to ameliorate the endemic student anxiety by hiring more psychologists. Unfortunately, by the time students are in college, their habits have been established; their brains have been wired.
As a private college counselor and an SAT/ACT instructor, I wonder why more students aren’t suffering from depression. Students’ schedules are packed. And trying to squeeze in the extra yoga class or counseling session is just one more stressor.
Over scheduling kids begins early. Belonging to a school sports team isn’t good enough. Club teams have sprouted up. Parents worry that their children will be at a disadvantage if they don’t play on both. Coaches demand more hours of practice even though they know that students have little time to complete school work. In fact, a particular sport may go year round with indoor practice supplemented by training.
If the amount of homework has increased, it is because students take that “extra” Advanced Placement course. Struggling to stay abreast of school work, they are staying up past midnight, only to have to get up early to fit in swim practice before classes.
The frenetic pace continues into college, and the student athletes at competitive colleges are paying a heavy price. The stakes are even higher if the athlete plays a Division I sport.
And sports aren’t the only culprit. The same kids who take music lessons often join two orchestras. The budding actor takes voice lessons, dance lessons and stays after school for the four hour play rehearsals. There is no down time, a vastly underestimated emotional cushion.
So when will the adults step up to the plate declaring “enough is enough”? No matter how bright the kids are, they still haven’t had the years of experience to know how to balance their lives. It’s time for adults to exercise their wisdom and teach that less really is more.