There is room for academic excellence at CUNY, but little room to navigate the halls. High schools prepare students for the college curriculum, but NYC high schools prepare students for battles way beyond the academic landscape — crowds. 

An article written by The New York Post begs for a change in city high schools. Francis Lewis High School, known for its well renowned academic and career driven programs, faces a tumultuous crisis — packing over 5,000 students into a three floor building. Students at Francis Lewis High School are subject to crowded hallways and small classroom space. 

The battles that these schools face are no different from the CUNY crowd plague. What happens to the mental health of students becomes lost, in the same way that their education is among the crowds. The mirroring of city high schools and CUNY was further emphasized in another New York Post article from last year, citing a total of 274,906 students entering CUNY in the fall of 2018. 

The lines outside of the Lex building show an increase in this number. At a college level, this impacts more than just education but also the pathway to a career. Career fairs hosted at Baruch College are often packed, with little room to network, defeating the entire purpose of the event. There needs to be a solution for overcrowding at both city high schools and CUNY. As students, we should be active in asking questions on how we can accomplish this.