CU has opportunity to address student isolation

Being a new student can be very difficult, and in my experience with moving schools and coming to CU Boulder, a place I’ve never lived before, I experienced many hardships, but I also noticed other students around me also had these same struggles. CU Boulder undergraduate enrollment was 30,707, of which 7,106 were entering first-year students. (“About CU Boulder,” University of Colorado Boulder, n.d.).

Moving can cause a person to experience stress and may have a harder time making friends and integrating into new social groups, which can impact their well-being and overall experience with moving and cause them to isolate and experience loneliness. For instance, research published by the American Psychological Association shows loneliness levels have reached an all-time high, with nearly half of 20,000 U.S. adults reporting they sometimes or always feel alone. Forty percent of survey participants also reported they sometimes or always feel that their relationships are not meaningful and that they feel isolated (Novotney, n.d.).

We have an opportunity as a community to ease these transitions, by providing programs for new students, such as peer mentor groups or orientation sessions that introduce new students to activities and resources. Parents can also benefit from guidance on maintaining open communication with their children during transitions from one place to another. Students should also know that they are not alone in this transition and could benefit from talking with one another, as studies indicate that strong support is crucial for helping children adapt after a move. And by prioritizing these actions, Boulder can create a more supportive environment where every child feels a sense of belonging and stability, no matter when they got here.

— Ayah Almadhi, Boulder