When we take our first steps into our kindergarten classroom, an invisible clock starts ticking.
We are, from that moment on, set on an educational track that has a fixed time frame: six years in elementary school, seven in middle and high school and four in college. Guidance counselors and parents drill us with the idea that we must remain on track, on time and on the same path as our peers.
The earlier years of schooling test us academically, to be sure. While we’re in primary and secondary school, however, we at least — hopefully — have a stable place to come home to after a day at school.
But when we get to college, it’s no longer just academics that we worry about. It’s living away from home, finding a job and always feeling like our GPAs aren’t good enough. And sometimes, it becomes necessary for a college student to take a semester off of school. Not because he or she doesn’t value education or is failing classes, but because his or her mental health matters more than fitting education into a strict, unwavering time frame.
I believe that colleges should allow students to take a semester off, without any negative repercussions, such as a semester of W’s or having to reapply.
The standards that our society has established for schooling exist for a good reason — the time frames are typically representative of what is needed in order to attain a certain level of knowledge. However, when colleges don’t allow students to take a semester off to focus on themselves without negative repercussions, those students will struggle more to get that knowledge.
Studies have shown that in college, mental health can easily deteriorate, and it often doesn’t receive the attention it should. In fact, one survey even concluded that anxiety and depression are top concerns in nearly half of reporting college students. College students often de-prioritize mental health because of pressing deadlines, social commitments and the never-ending search for internships.
All of these things are undeniably important, but at what cost? If a college student feels overwhelmingly stressed or depressed, that won’t go away by submitting all their assignments on time or getting invited to the best social events.
Inquiries into students taking a gap year between high school and college have shown that a leave of absence from university, when done right, can lead to higher productivity upon return to school. The same logically follows when dealing with a break during college. If we give students the opportunity to focus on themselves and their mental health without the pressure of grades and reapplying to school, they will return rejuvenated and motivated to get more out of their university experience.
It’s inarguably tricky for universities to make it easier for students to take time off, because they have to draw the line somewhere. But I do believe that the benefit to the mental health of students would be worth it. There’s no telling how much more students could accomplish if allowed to take needed time off.