Hello! My name is Bri, and I am the Wellness Operations Intern for Project Passport. If you are reading this, welcome back to the fourth installment of my favorite blog series: College Students on Mental Health. My main goal with this series is to give college students a platform to voice their opinions surrounding mental health within institutions that are notorious for not providing enough support and resources to students in need. With the upcoming blogs within this series, I am focusing more on men’s mental health within universities, as that has been a big topic of discussion among young adults and college students recently. Today I interviewed Harrison, a recent 2023 alumnus of North Carolina State University.

Harrison graduated from NC State with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. When asked if he believed his major changed his perspective on mental health, he said no, explaining that “My major didn't really change my perspective on mental health a ton. Learning about business gives a little insight into how corporate America operates, but as far as my experience inside my major not a lot really changed.” However, when it comes to the experience of higher education, Harrison thinks that college has impacted how he takes care of his mental health. He believes that college is the first opportunity for young adults to really take on the responsibility of looking after themselves. “Being away from home, you don't have that same attention from your parents or siblings to notice that something is wrong. You have to be more vocal and tell a friend when you feel off or if something isn't working,” Harrison comments. Taking the extra step to reach out to someone regarding your mental health can be hard, but it is always important to do so. For self-care, Harrison does not have a routine that he normally turns to, but acknowledges that he probably should have one. He believes the closest routine he has to self-care simply includes everyday activities that make him happy. 

When it comes to the implementation of resources by universities for the betterment of student mental health, Harrison says that he believes that, “Universities could do a much better job of actually stepping in the shoes of students in the 21st century to understand the stressors that people actually go through on a daily basis. One of two ‘wellness days’ in the middle of the week surrounded by assignments doesn't do anything for anyone.” He also identifies cost as a massive barrier that affects students reaching out for professional help, even with the help of on-campus professionals and resources. After a certain number of appointments on campus, the students are told the cost of appointments going forward or redirected to third-party outlets, both of which can become extremely expensive for a college student. For others seeking mental health resources other than therapy, Harrison believes that those resources can seem unattainable due to poor structure.

“When even campus-sponsored mental health programs can be alienating or too slow to respond, it really makes people feel like they're left to their own devices,” Harrison later adds. 

Giving students of different majors and backgrounds a platform to voice their opinions on mental health and the resources available to students is the first step to getting the resources we, as students, need. Over the next couple of months, this blog series will be focusing more on men’s mental health as young adults and college students to hopefully give more insight as to how we can better support students as a whole, especially the ones who are not the first to voice their opinions on the subject of mental health. 

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Project Passport is a proactive mental wellness company that aims to bring mental wellness retreats, workshops, and other services to company teams. We also help individuals create joy in their lives every step of the way. To learn more about our company retreats and services, click here. Our travel retreats will resume in the future as the world reopens.