I get the message that Carey was trying to convey but I disagree strongly. I went to MIT in the 1990's. One kid in our dorm killed himself. A group of friends a

I get the message that Carey was trying to convey but I disagree strongly. I went to MIT in the 1990's. One kid in our dorm killed himself. A group of friends and I had to convince another student to not kill herself. The problem has been so endemic that the Boston Glove wrote a series of articles about it. From what I can tell, similar "elite" universities have their own suicide problems. A lot of this stems from the fact that these freshmen students are 15-18 year-old kids who are facing a really competitive atmosphere, mot to mention being away from home on an extended basis, for the first time. They attend with the hopes and wishes of family, friends and teachers back home and they are fully aware of the financial sacrifices that it took to get them to college. When they get that first 'C' or even a 'D' or 'F' it's very easy to look on yourself as a failure - and suicide looks like an easy way out for some. These students don't think they deserve to be there, where the opposite is true. That's why these universities try to drill in the positive message. As WA wrote, the real world will make itself known in due time, laying a guilt trip on kids as soon as they arrive is not the way to go. At graduation, sure tell them to give back. But as incoming freshmen, the priority should be helping them succeed.