Students Coping with College Life and Stress In the present day, there are many common factors amongst college students, that may lead a student to feel overwhelmed. Some students may face depression, anxiety, stress, eating disorders, along with other challenges. However, there are ways for college students to cope with what they are dealing with. Coping with these stresses will be an advantage for students. It is important to know what the causes are for students who are overwhelmed, who it affects, ways of coping, and the benefits of coping.
Causes
There are many reasons why college students may feel stressed and overworked. Students who are in their first year of college may feel an added pressure due to several factors. First, some
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If students understood ways to cope or manage their stress, they can avoid problems that may arise.
Coping
There are numerous ways that one can cope with college. Coping can reduce stress and allow students to put energy towards something positive. Delfino et al. (2015) conducted a study that showed several methods that people can use to cope. Some individuals looked towards emotional support from family and or peers. While others, turned to work or other activities to ease their minds. Some activities can include hanging out with friends, joining clubs or being a part of a sports team. Hobbies are also a great stress managing strategy. Reading a book or simply putting energy towards a task can take someone’s worries away. There were certain individuals who turned to their religion and choose to pray or meditate. Not only can individuals do the tasks listed above, but they can also go to counselors at their schools. Some people may find it easier to turn to someone that they do not know. By talking about their feeling and thoughts, it can help students release some unwanted stress from their shoulders. Counselors could also provide advice and ways to prevent unadded stress to their lives. It is easy for students to turn to negative coping strategies such as drinking and drugs. However, it is advisable to avoid drugs and alcohol, since it
The Brief COPE assessed the students’ levels of coping responses ranging from active coping, planning, religion/ spirituality and instrumental support. The Perceived Social Support from Family and Friends scale is a 20-item questionnaire that allowed the participant to uncover their beliefs regarding the level of social support he or she receives from both his or her friends and family members. The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire is a 67-item questionnaire that examined how well students have adjusted to college. Adjustment to college within this inventory included feelings relating to, academic,
Mental disorders are as common among college students as same-aged non-students, and these disorders seem to be growing in amount and severity. It is not unusual for undergraduate students to experience varying levels of anxiety, depression, and stress during their matriculation; some college students experience academic stressors as well as non-academic stressors. Non-academic stressors could include seemingly obvious issues like moving away from family for the first time or some issues that may be harder to recognize like private health concerns. Dr. Richard Kadison, chief of mental health services at Harvard University and author of “College of the Overwhelmed” reported that almost 50% of college students are likely to suffer some degree of
College is a time of extreme stress due to societal and parental pressures. College students have expectations they have to live up to in order to fulfill and satisfy the needs of both their parents and society. Stress is expressed through a variety of symptoms that can be hazardous to student’s physical and mental health. With such high expectations to do well during college, students may become sleep deprived, which impairs mental capacity, but sleep deprivation is only one of a vast array of symptoms. Stress is present in all aspects of life and there are multiple causes of stress, especially, during the college period which may present itself through many symptoms, but with stress, there are also various coping methods to help students
Although the stress of college students is largely present, it is just another part of college. The real epidemic here besides added pressure on female students is how students as a whole can reduce the amount of stress that is put on them by personal practices. The hardships that students are going through now will be prevalent in the future when they become very successful from all the aspects they were challenged
The transition from high school to college is a notoriously daunting experience for students entering, arguably, the most important years in their lives. Everything that a student has come to know about academics, for the most part, are to be radically challenged. Many different factors go into the change, and any particular one can be enough to overwhelm any given student into becoming an emotional wreck. Whether it be living on one's own for the first time, drastic schedule changes, or becoming socially involved, these responsibilities are just three examples, among the seeming hundreds. However, a perfect balance between these responsibilities is a major key in not allowing the stressors to take one captive.
These are just a few things that college kids deal with on a daily basis. College campuses have become more aware of the stress levels that students go through, and have made accommodations that are available for all students.
Leaving High School, I thought I was prepared to go into college. I knew how difficult college was going to be. So i told myself I would do my homework the day it was assigned, I would go to the tutors if i needed help, and I would study more to succeed. But one thing I did not prepare myself for was, how to overcome stress and anxiety. According to an article, “Stress in College: Experts Provide Tips to Cope” by Megan Reed, “…30% of students reported that stress had negatively affected their academic performance within the past year, and over 85% had felt overwhelmed by everything they had to do at some point within the past year.”(National Health Assessment) This report really captivated me because 30%
Generally speaking, college requires a lot more effort from students than high school. Once you begin your college career, you will see that student’s are more motivated, professors are more demanding, and the workload is a lot more difficult. These academic standards are even more visible in graduate school. Now, although college is filled with adventurous opportunities, it can also be filled with stress. In other words, as a result of everything going on, it’s more common for college students to experience higher levels of stress related to school, work, finance, and in some cases, relationships.
According to The Effects of Stress on the Lives of Emerging Adult College Students: An Exploratory Analysis by Justin W. Peer, Stephen B. Hillman, and Emma Van Hoet, created a study to answer the question of how stress affects college students. In their research they discovered that stress had both negative and positive effects and how the students coped with it.One of the students studied admitted to feeling
Deciding to go to college is the hardest decision a student can make and the most stressful. Caused by many reasons, the stress is present whether one is in their first year of college or their last. Deciding to attend college is frightening for students; this is because it means going into the world and growing up. Along with the decision come a number of stressful responsibilities and changes that a student has to put up with. The reasons for so much stress fall into one of three categories: academic stress, which has anything to do with studying for classes, financial stress, which has to do with paying for school, and personal stress. Many students experience stress, and they have to combine their busy lives and the demands of college and still make time for themselves. We all experience stress in college getting ready for exams, completing papers, or adjusting to college life. We all know that being stressed for a long time may cause health issues. Although stress can be harmful at times, it can also be good and stimulating. Stress can also be good, because of facing new challenges helps students grow up and learn new things. Dealing with academic and personal stressors is the hardest part about college, and it will interfere with personal life and help experiment life’s options.
Stress is unavoidable, no matter the situation, location, or time; stress is always present. Stress is found in higher levels during the duration in which students attend college. It is predictably higher among college students, freshmans in particular, because of the extreme expectations set upon them by their parents and, of course, society. The need to please their parents, longing for success in life, and being able to sustain a reasonable income in the future, all of which falls into the hands of college students who are making critical decisions which may decide the outcome for a large portion of their lives. If these students end up hating their future jobs, the stress of having to go back into college to study for a new career
College represents a form of higher learning. For many, it is also a time for personal growth as we transition into adulthood. This in itself is a stressful situation as one must make drastic adjustments to a new role, environment, and demands. Stress is a major contributor to the development of mental and emotional issues (Rodgers, L., Tennison, L. 2009). Research has been done to determine the impact of depression and anxiety on university students. It has been
Stress mindset: coping mechanisms to the rescue If you ask students to think of a few words that describe their university experience, stressful might be one that comes up frequently. In fact, stress is linked to a plethora of less than desirable factors. Namely, accelerated aging, headaches and even premature death (Epel, 2009; Martin, Lae & Reece, 2007; Vlastelica, 2008)! A common factor in these studies is that stress is viewed as a negative body reaction because it leads to moderate to serious medical issues. Stress seems to have garnered a bad reputation. However, what some may not realize is that stress can be advantageous and what it comes down to is a positive stress mindset. This study will consider how under certain circumstances, a positive stress
First off, adjusting to academic factors in the freshmen year can create stress for students in a variety of ways. First of all, first-year students experience stress while trying to keep up with the new academic workloads in college, which are completely different and more challenging than the workloads in high school. To illustrate this, in Alan Schwartz’s article in the
There are many challenges that we face and have to handle every single day. And, as women, we frequently have to balance the demands of work, family, children, parents, finances, and health—to name just a few. These demands are frequently referred to as “stressors” and achieving a balance is “stressful.” But multiple demands on our time and energy are a part of everyone’s life. Stress is not how many demands you have in your life, but rather how you and your body respond to these demands. For some, racing to meet a tight deadline or complete a long “ToDo” list can be positive and energizing. It’s important to learn what stress is, at what point it becomes harmful, and options for how you can respond to it. Finding the right balance is