UK Universities are Considering Students’ Mental Health

The UK has always been known for tolerating diverse cultures, nationalities, and ideologies. As a students’ country, with over 130 universities and an increasing percentage of students each year, it is expected that the cities' design will be influenced. As an example, the fact that most students use bicycles, many bike-friendly paths, parks, and lanes have been made precisely to meet that need.

 But now in the UK, it is getting further than lanes. In Bath, efforts have been put into developing its North Parade site that resulted in the consideration of the Cricket Club is planning to have a cricket school in a student accommodation block. The Cricket school will come with its own gym, of course.

The club chairman, Matt Hankins, said that "We believe the best way to safeguard the club's future and be able to continue our work with local schools and community is to redevelop some of our site and include an element of private development." It is also believed that this gesture comes from a recent initiative to bear in mind students' mental health, especially international ones who might feel a bit homesick.

Student accommodation's on-site teams are well-trained to understand the pressures that the students are facing and to detect early signs of anxiety, isolation, and depression in rare cases. Universities in the UK have grown more aware of the significance of their students' mental health, and the findings of a pilot project at Nottingham Trent were tested and resulted in publishing a student mental health guidance pack (pdf) earlier this year.