By: Jisara
As a senior high school student aiming to pursue engineering at a top Canadian university, I have pushed myself to take challenging courses to become a strong candidate. However, as I have looked around my classroom, I have found that I am surrounded by individuals who have not only won several national-level competitions but also achieved near-perfect grades. Nowadays, an A may not be enough to guarantee admission into dream schools; applicants are also judged based on other additional factors As a result, those who wish to pursue a career in STEM are forced into a cutthroat environment, resulting in increased levels of stress and depression among students.
Since the pandemic, there has been a notable rise in mental health concerns among students, especially in STEM fields. A survey conducted at the University of Toronto, one of Canada’s leading universities, has revealed that among participants, 46.2% reported a chronic struggle with their mental health as compared to 9.8% of the general population. In addition, over 50% of students in STEM fields indicated feeling major symptoms of anxiety or depression in any given two-week period. Due to the stressful environment students have to face at UofT, in 2023, ten students committed suicide on campus, despite the university’s reports of decreasing rates over the previous years. As a fellow student in STEM, it is truly heartbreaking to hear such young adults commit such tragedies. Many of them have overworked themselves and have become burned out. Even so, these reports have yet to include those who may have done the unthinkable outside school grounds or those whose incidents have not been reported. As such, it is evident that universities, not just UofT, are not paying enough attention to students’ mental health, and stressed-out students have been forced to compete against each other to land a job at graduation.
In order to effectively tackle these mental health challenges, both students and universities need to adopt proactive strategies. Students should be encouraged to practice self-care and develop healthy coping mechanisms for their stress. Meanwhile, students should also aim for a balanced schedule, ensuring that they are allocated time to take a break while they study. Additionally, universities should also provide mental health services and programs to help promote and increase access for students on campus, as well as establish peer support systems where students are free to share their experiences with each other. Furthermore, classes could regularly conduct surveys to understand students’ mental health challenges to resolve each student’s concerns and improve their well-being.
As a senior entering the STEM field, there have been challenges and times when I have wanted to quit, but I have persevered by reminding myself of my strengths and the reasons for why I have chosen this path. Overworking students is not the formula to their success, instead, it is critical for them to build the mental fortitude to keep them going. At the end of the day, pursuing a career in STEM requires not only a strong set of skills but also change and reformation from our academic institutions.
