Since 2007, the Healthy Minds Network (through the University of Michigan) has studied and reported the mental health of college students through confidential online surveys. The surveys aim to recognize typical symptoms of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-esteem and optimism. The 2025 Healthy Minds Study reported that, from 2022 to 2025, fewer participants reported experiencing symptoms of severe depression, anxiety and loneliness. Recognition of self-esteem, purpose and optimism in the survey’s results dropped, however, from 38% in 2024 to 36% in 2025. Though it would appear that fewer students experience symptoms of depression or anxiety, the majority of students are still not experiencing “psychological well-being.”
Modern culture seems to think that being unhappy is simply a part of the college experience. I love searching for the “best quotes for encouraging college students” because when I do so, I find quotes that show how comfortable we are with college students suffering, like this one from a page of quotes on The Odyssey Online and taken from CS Lewis: “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” First of all, never say that to your children or siblings, if only for the reason that it’s terrible advice that encourages them to internalize their struggles rather than opening up as part of a healthy recovery process. You wouldn’t tell someone with a broken ankle to “walk it off” because you know that “walking it off” won’t help that someone effectively recover. Being hurt emotionally necessitates a supportive environment for recovery, both from those we take refuge in and the general environment that frames our daily experiences. As students, our lives are framed by college, both privately and socially. So why should we content ourselves as a culture to say that college should be “a painful experience?”
As members of a smaller campus community, F&M students can impact the lives of other students through interaction and communication. Campus communities, as gateways to earning a degree and employment, are competitive, professional and independent, but they can also be places of encouragement. Optimism and purpose cannot exist in a student without positive social interactions. To be optimistic, a student must believe in the possibility of their future success, and such a belief requires encouragement—without encouragement, optimism would be unreasonable because it would be without any supporting reason. To feel a purpose, a student must believe in the achievability of a goal, and such a belief also requires encouragement.
Our campus can be a community that helps build students’ optimism and sense of purpose. During the winter months, when about two in five Americans report that their mood worsens, try to get out and engage in campus activities and social gatherings. Clubs and student groups, in particular, can be great environments for cultivating both encouragement of one’s interests and feelings of purpose and belonging. College presents an excellent opportunity in the course of life to engage with other people in the pursuit or enjoyment of a common goal. Recall the words of Aristotle that “man is by nature a social animal,” and go enjoy your membership in a community, even if that means trekking through the winter wonderland.
Junior Charlie Burns is the Editorials Editor. His email is cburns1@fandm.edu