Loneliness is one of the leading complaints by college students, exacerbated by feelings of isolation, stress and the challenge of leading independent lives. But this problem extends far beyond just college campuses — former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has called loneliness a national epidemic and it is only getting worse.
At Cornell, loneliness is a pervasive issue. Social platforms like Sidechat regularly feature posts from students expressing their struggles with feeling like they have no friends or support system. These posts garner much sympathy and empathy from other students who relate to the feeling. Many people attribute loneliness to an increase in phone usage and engagement in social media. However, at Cornell, I believe it is a multitude of factors that play a bigger role in perpetuating chronic feelings of loneliness.
For instance, the sheer size of Cornell’s 745-acre campus contributes to loneliness among the student body. Students live in distinctly spread out areas — North, South and West Campus — while balancing hectic class schedules, making socialization harder. Plus, its isolated location proves tough for students to get out of the campus bubble and immerse themselves in Ithaca. It feels as if Cornell is its own community and Ithaca is another without much connection. For instance from personal experience, the lack of reliable and timely public transport and the isolated campus bubble separate students from the Ithaca Commons and the greater area. Students don’t have much to do when Cornell is the only thing for miles. That is not to say that people do not socialize: people do, it’s just much harder for friendships to be deep and less surface level.
Another important factor that exacerbates loneliness on our campus is the culture of competition. Everything on campus is competitive, from social rush to social clubs. The cutthroat competition on campus to become a part of a group discourages people and oftentimes, leaves people feeling lonely even if they have many different obligations. This competition, underscored by students’ desire to be “superior,” creates a perpetual culture of toxicity within many communities. The nature of competition at Cornell — the whole notion of “I’m doing more than you,” or “I’m competing for the same finance job as you” — creates a culture of less sincerity among peers. As such, a hierarchy is both created and perpetuated by the “Ivy League” nature of our school. Harvard student Proof Schubert Reed wrote about feeling intense loneliness due to the glorification of “being busy” on his campus. The same applies to Cornell. I have this problem with my own friends all having blocked out Google calendars with meetings, classes, study time and club obligations. Campus culture is a major contributor to loneliness, and it will only get worse as it gets more and more competitive every year. People will feel the need to “prove” themselves in order to have a community.
Finally, the lack of access to mental health resources on campus also contributes to loneliness. Cornell Health and Counseling & Psychological Services are often overbooked with appointments — there are simply not enough counselors for the number of students requesting help, and high demand often leads to long waitlists. Finding counseling outside of Cornell is even more challenging. Oftentimes, finding a therapist in general who can help provide personalized support takes time—- it’s like finding the right fitting shoe. With time, resources and other constraints, it is very difficult to find the space to actually dive deep and seek the care one truly needs.
College serves as a time when we as young adults are still discovering ourselves. However, as with any form of discovery, we are defined by the relationships we make. Humans are naturally social creatures, so it is time that we reassess how we go about our own campus culture. While the physical size of our campus cannot be changed, we need to address loneliness at Cornell by engaging in discourse that can contribute to dismantling the competitive nature of our campus, which seems to steep into our social lives negatively. Cornell’s administration should also pay more attention to creating better and more expansive mental health efforts for students, besides the few resources such as CAPS or the peer support network. For instance, there should be a focus on recruiting professionals trained to support first-generation, LGBTQ+ students and students of color. I believe there should be an emphasis on bringing top-rated web therapy programs on campus to be included under student insurance to truly expand the reach of mental health services efficiently. There is much to be done as Cornell evolves with time. However, the first and foremost issue that we should truly look into is the ways to address and solve the loneliness epidemic on our campus.
Asfi Tias is a second year student in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her column Thoughts After Midnight focuses on students’ academic and social experiences on campus with hot takes and political commentary. She can be reached at [email protected].
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