College students are often told that these years are supposed to be the best time of their lives. At SUNY Cortland, this idea can feel far from reality by the middle of the semester. Between exams, assignments, jobs, internships, practices, and the pressure to plan a perfect life after graduation, we as students are drowning. If SUNY Cortland is truly committed to supporting its students’ well-being, it should consider incorporating mental health days into the academic calendar.
The academic calendar is structured around productivity. Classes move fast, syllabi are jam-packed, and it is expected that things move forward. While there are still short breaks like long weekends and spring break, they come too late when the students are already exhausted. By the time students reach each break, many are already overwhelmed, behind on work, and mentally drained.
Cortland’s environment can also make this more challenging. The long winter brings freezing temperatures, dark skies, and limited amounts of daylight. Walking up and down a hill in the snow while worrying about coursework adds a lot of stress to the brain. Seasonal fatigue is a real thing, and February can feel like a never-ending winter.
Mental health days in the academic calendar would not take away the stress entirely, but they would help acknowledge that students are human beings and not robots. A scheduled day without class would provide students with an opportunity to rest before the burnout turns into something more serious. Instead of skipping class because of exhaustion, students would have a built-in break that would not risk them falling behind.
Critics may argue that college prepares students for the “real world.” However, many workplaces now value mental health days. Exhausted students struggle to focus and participate, so a short, intentional break could improve academic performance. Rest supports productivity.
Mental health days would not mean extending the semester or reducing instructional time. A strategically timed pause between major exams would help students recalibrate.
Some might worry that students would treat these days as opportunities to just procrastinate or party. While that is still a risk, it should not overlook the benefit at stake. Students already make choices about how to use the weekends and their free time. SUNY Cortland showing that they are acknowledging the issue of mental health communicates that the university cares about balance and self-care.
SUNY Cortland offers counseling services, wellness programs, and mental health resources, which is a start in the right direction. But support should not have a limit when it comes to students finally reaching a breaking point. Additional ways of helping the problem, like built-in mental health days, show the commitment from SUNY Cortland that they are aware of their students’ well-being.
College can be demanding and stressful, but chronic exhaustion should not be normalized within the experience. If SUNY Cortland wants its students to thrive personally and academically, it should reconsider the effect the academic calendar has on burnout. A small change could have an impact that could help so many at once.