No one at Stanford expects your transition to university life to be smooth sailing. Your 5-unit classes inevitably take up 10 units of mental space, your u-lock will never u-unlock and you might even spend $20 on a sandwich from CoHo out of sheer hunger on your walk back from Town & Country after discovering the marguerite stops running early on game days. On top of all the small inconveniences, we have to adapt to living two parallel lives, often neglecting school to worry about even more school. These difficult moments add up.

The wonderful thing about this world-class university is that there is always help available. And I’m not talking about the four free appointments from CAPS, which barely provide enough time to unpack that one time a girl didn’t say “hi” back to you. There’s a good chance you’ll forget everything you wanted to talk about by the time your CAPS appointment rolls around, anyway. I’m talking about your PWR1 instructors.

For some reason, Stanford’s mental health services don’t advertise this resource nearly enough, but your PWR1 instructors will actually be super understanding and kind if you break down in a conference with them, a stark contrast to the chemistry department. They might not be trained mental health professionals, but they have the same motherly warmth and concerned facial expressions that I imagine they teach you in therapist school, so it shouldn’t be an issue! 

We’ve already overworked CAPS enough for one year, so next time you need someone to confide in, consider visiting the third floor of Sweet Hall!