> Isn’t this in some ways just growing up and directly having experience with the intricacies of a big system?
From what I've read, I don't think so. The underlying considerations may not have changed. But societal awareness of various problems has increased, causing both parents and students to ask things like "how many mental health counselors do you have for your student body?" or "what's the waiting time for an appointment?" I think consumers have become a lot more educated, too.
That example sounds to me a lot like a university taking on things they shouldn’t need to do, but have to because there’s nothing else to take them on.
I wonder how many counselors they have and how short wait times for appointments are in European countries where higher education costs either nothing or a small amount compared to median incomes
> That example sounds to me a lot like a university taking on things they shouldn’t need to do, but have to because there’s nothing else to take them on.
"should" is pretty load-bearing there, but yeah, that could be. People know that mental health is a particular issue for college students[1]. In the absence of anything else providing these services, it's not surprising that informed consumers would look to colleges to do what they can, and competitive pressure would result in most colleges growing their offerings in this area.
> I wonder how many counselors they have and how short wait times for appointments are in European countries where higher education costs either nothing or a small amount compared to median incomes
It's a good question. In interpreting the answer, one would presumably want to know how the general level of access to mental health services compares between the United States and those countries.
From what I've read, I don't think so. The underlying considerations may not have changed. But societal awareness of various problems has increased, causing both parents and students to ask things like "how many mental health counselors do you have for your student body?" or "what's the waiting time for an appointment?" I think consumers have become a lot more educated, too.