News

Many student services professionals at post-secondary institutions may have familiarity with the unique needs in supporting international students' career development. Now in this time where our institutions are navigating changes due to COVID-19, it is important to find ways of how to facilitate international student career development in the virtual space.

With surveys showing that the pandemic is worsening anxiety and depression among college students, campus counseling centers across California are bracing for an expected sharp rise in the numbers of students seeking mental health services.

Like most college and university classes, psychological therapy sessions switched to online — or on telephone — in March. The campuses say they will try their best to advertise, expand and improve those virtual services and continue that way until it is safe to restore in-person meetings.

Tired. Tired of not being able to be with friends, eat at our favorite restaurants, see a movie in the theater, or go to a concert. Physical distancing has been really hard. Add to that the impact of COVID-19 on our schools, jobs and important ritual such as weddings, graduations and funerals, and it’s no surprise that our collective mental health is being negatively impacted.

Depression and anxiety are rising during COVID, particularly among low-income students, students of color, women, LGBTQ+ students and students who are caregivers.

Mental health problems were also more prevalent among students who struggled with the shift to online and distance learning, according to a mental health survey of 45,0000 students conducted in May-July 2020 at nine public research universities.

California’s ban on affirmative action has significantly harmed Black and Latino students by reducing their enrollment across University of California campuses, lowering their graduation rates and driving down subsequent wages, a new UC Berkeley study has found.

About one-third of undergraduate, graduate and professional school students screened during the summer were found to have depression or anxiety, or both, which is a higher rate than seen in years past, according to a new report by the Student Experience in the Research University, or SERU, Consortium.

The ongoing pandemic caused by the continued prevalence and spread of the novel coronavirus has been especially trying for first-generation college students, with a new survey finding that the cohort was especially vulnerable to experiencing financial hardships, food and housing insecurity, mental health disorders, and obstacles to transitioning to online courses.

In a shot heard around the country, on May 21, 2020, UC’s Board of Regents suspended the requirement and use of standardized tests, including the SAT and ACT, for freshman applicants.  UC will be test optional for campus selection of freshman in fall 2021 and 2022, and “beginning with fall 2023 applicants and ending with fall 2024 applicants, campuses will not consider test scores for admissions selection at all, and will practice test-blind admissions selection.”