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SWASING | Give Me a Break

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In recent years, there has been a push from newer generations of workers for better work-life balance. This was exacerbated by the pandemic, which gave many workers a taste of having more time off and opportunities for remote work. Since then, social media has flooded with content encouraging Gen Z and millennials to reject the 24/7 hustle culture and instead advocate for their own personal time outside of work to be respected. This mindset shift needs to be applied to academics as well. Cornell should protect students’ rights to a real work-life balance rather than maintaining outdated policies that offer little to no protection of students’ personal time during academic breaks.

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WEIRENS | Procrastination Station: How to Do Nothing at Cornell

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There are endless ways to spend your time, especially at a university like Cornell. Parents, professors, counselors and veteran students alike crow about the importance of “good time management,” but what does that even mean? Where do you begin to describe it? How do you apply this vague concept of “good time management” to your life?

In honor of the impending Accepted Students Weekend (aka Cornell Days), I’d like to extend this article as a time management resource for prospective students to peruse. These are some strategies for endlessly whittling away your time at Cornell, all while maximizing stress and minimizing your sanity. 

For starters, a good mindset to get into is the “I’ll save it for the weekend” strategy. This way, you’ll be bulldozed with the most work during the time of week when you have the most fun, interesting and tempting distractions to contend with. Better yet is the “I’ll save it for fall/spring/February break” strategy, when you’ll likely be with your family or traveling. Unlock your inner finance bro by frantically typing into a computer at the airport gate to complete last-minute assignments.

Columns

BETTEZ | The Biggest Oversight in the New Mental Health Initiatives

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During a conversation this summer with a group of MIT students I met through my Cambridge internship, we stumbled into how both of our schools have issues with mental health services. It was then that I heard about their Student Support Services, abbreviated as all college programs are by its students to “S-cubed.”

From what I could gather from the MIT website and pestering the students I knew, the student service grants extensions on exams, homework or any school assignment that students need, as well as works with them to grant extended leaves. According to students I talked to, one of its most striking features is that they ask very few questions when granting minor extensions and operate under a system of trust — assuming the best of the academic integrity of its students. The questions they do ask are centered on getting a general idea of why the students are calling the support center and ensuring their safety. They are encouraged to call for physical or mental health reasons, like waking up sick the day of an exam, the sudden appearance of a depressive episode, extreme anxiety or even going through a tough breakup with a significant other.