Stress is a serious concern for college students, especially freshmen making the transition to a new lifestyle and school. It is important to remember that there are multiple ways to cope with stress that have shown to be effective, and every individual copes differently. It is never too late to seek help or to try a new strategy if the one chosen is not working. Three advice tips for freshmen making the transition to college are: attending or requesting mindfulness programs on campus, developing a strong support system especially with one’s parents if that is possible, and using resources that can be found on one’s campus.
Students in the United States reported that stress was their greatest obstacle during the first year of their college
…show more content…
career (Araas, T.). Out of all the students on campus, studies show that freshmen tend to have a harder time dealing with stress and have a greater sensitivity to engaging in risky behavior, such as not exercising, not eating well, and substance abuse. One coping strategy is to attend mindfulness programs on campus, or requesting these programs on campus if they do not exist. These programs could be an effective behavioral strategy for students coping with stress. A cross-sectional study of this was done at a large south western university, and the results were as expected. The students who attended these programs had higher mindfulness which was related to higher self-efficacy, decreased stress levels, and participated in less risky behavior (Araas, T.). Mindfulness programs may decrease overall stress, enhance coping mechanisms, and promote the overall health among college freshmen (Araas, T.). The second coping strategy to dealing with stress is retaining strong, healthy relationships with parents and friends throughout the transition process.
Freshmen students experienced many different kinds of stress that can be related to academics, finances, and personal relationships during the first few months of separation (Sollenberger, S.). A study was done with 170 college students to test Bowlby and Ainsworth’s theory of attachment. The study was done to see if college freshmen who were securely attached to their mother or father would make better decisions and have less stress than students who were not (Sollenberger, S.). The results showed that students who were securely attached to their parents had positive correlations related to more positive decisions and less academic stress (Sollenberger, S.). And finally, the greatest difference between males and females was that practical independence came from both parents, while emotional independence came from the mother (Sollenberger, S.). It is important for college freshmen to remember that although they are gaining independence and separation from their parents and friends, it is essential to have a support …show more content…
system. The third and final coping strategy to dealing with stress is using resources that can be found on campus.
Many students on a college campus experience stress, depression, or being overwhelmed and rarely seek mental health services on campus. A study was done at a large, highly competitive, public research university, to see how many students experience any of these things and to see how many actually use their available resources (Laven, A.). Studies found that most of these students who experienced these emotional situations tended to have lower grade point averages; however, they indicated that their problems were not serious enough, they had never used the available resources on campus, and they generally knew very little about the resources on campus (Laven, A.). Although many of the freshmen indicated that they would rather turn to friends or family for advice, if the problem is persistent and affects one’s daily life, campus resources should be used.
College students, especially freshmen, experiencing stress is normal, but it a concern that should not be taken lightly. It is easy for situations to spiral out of control, or for freshmen to feel like they cannot complete the next four years if things stay the same. It is important for students to keep in my mind that it is never too late to try one of these coping skills, and it is never too late to ask for
help.
In the essay “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, Zinsser speaks about the pressures and anxiety that plague college students, all the while wishing that they had “a chance to savor each segment of their education as an experience in itself and not as a grim preparation for the next step.” Referring to the 1979 generation of college students as “panicky to succeed”, he lists four of the following stressors for college students.
Everyone has experienced some type of stress in their life. Whether it has been from work, school, or trouble at home, stress is stress. If anyone had played sports in high school, you know the challenge of balancing school and sports. Imagine that stress, then multiply it exponentially. Everyone knows that college is a much more rigorous version of high school.
Students are becoming more stressed due to academic demands, social life, and work. First-year college students should receive more help from school to learn how to help themselves and become independent. In college, students must learn how to manage their time, organize their schedule that meets their college and personal duties, how to be resourceful, and how to interact with people whom they never met. Before college, a variety of students already learned how to accomplish these skills, but only a few of these students are fully responsible for themselves before leaving their home. Students who are dependent are most likely to have been helped by their parents who took an overprotective or extreme interest in the life of their children.
According to an article by Josephine Marcotty in Minneapolis’ Star Tribune from April 10, college students lead “hyper-enriched lives,” said Greg Kneser, dean of students at St. Olaf College. That’s what makes this generation of students distinct from its predecessors, he said. That is why more students who cannot cope with these feelings end up at college counseling centers with “increasingly serious mental-health problems.” 15 to 20 percent of college students nationally were diagnosed with depression. The second most common diagnosis was severe anxiety. According to the article, it is not unusual for mental-health issues to become apparent during a student’s college years.
4 Giancola, J.K., Grawitch, M.J., and Borchert, D. (2009). Dealing with the stress of college: A
National Health Ministries (2006). Stress & The College Student. The University of Illinois at Chicago. http://www.uic.edu/depts/wellctr/docs/Stress%20and%20the%20College%20Student.pdf
While many first year college students are over stressed and constantly in a state of panic or fear, I was able to teach my brain how to relax and keep stress to a minimum. It is because of this that my first year of college has been relatively easier then
As a freshman going into college, there are many things to stress about. This includes the fact that you are moving away from your familiar home of 18 years, the act of meeting new friends, attempting to find your way around a new, intimidating atmosphere and in general, all the freedom you are about to take on for the very first time. Freshman year is a time to adjust to being on your own and figure out who you want to be and where you fit in the overall scheme of things, not to have anxiety associated with your academics. Fortunately, there are ways that teachers and students can relieve freshmen of the stress of learning this first year at school.
This is supported by Lunau (2012) in The Mental Health Crisis on Campus, “At college or university, they could be away from friends and family who know them best — people who might better recognize the warning signs of mental illness, like social withdrawal, increasing anxiety, a growing inability to cope, or other changes in behaviour.” This new experience and bing surrounded by new people forces into new social interactions.
When I think about stress, many scenarios and experiences come flooding back to my brain. Stress is something that I am very familiar with and wish that I had less of. One of the most recent and stressful experiences in my life was moving into college my freshman year. Moving in wasn’t where all the stress was, it was everything that dealt with the process. It was the daunting thoughts of never making friends. The lonely feeling I got while I watched my parents drive away. The longing I had to be with people that were very familiar to me. All of this combined, made my first week of college, extremely stressful.
As it has been proven, students and depression across campuses are becoming more common daily, and it must be taken as a serious matter. There are many causes that result in depression, such as personal stress and academic stress. This severely influences a student’s life and can bring about extreme negative outcomes like suicide or eating disorders. Luckily, there are cures for this major issue. Counseling centers and mentors in the classroom and in residence halls can impact a student’s overall well-being and attitude towards his or her daily life. Depression, in conclusion, is an extremely dangerous mental illness that, if not cured with the correct treatments, could become detrimental to students across the globe.
Everyone deals with stress at some point in his or her life. Most people deal with it daily. As defined in the book called Principles and Labs for Fitness and Wellness, stress is, “The mental, emotional, and physiological response of the body to any situation that is new, threatening, frightening, or exciting” (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2012). This stress is caused by a stressor, which is also known as “a stress-causing event” (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2012). Stressors can take all different forms, from moving to a new town, having a baby, or even writing a paper (Boyd, Wood, & Wood, 2011). One major stressor in life can be going to college. If not coped with properly, these stressors can leave a person with too much stress that could end up harming them mentally and physically, such as developing an illness (Boyd, Wood, & Wood, 2011). There are several ways to cope with stress. Some healthy ways to cope with stress would be practicing emotion-focused coping, building time-management techniques, and practicing meditation.
The probability and potential of the students can be raised and develop the motive to move forward. The students who take stress as a burden, the probability of success rate decreases Stress caused due to academic pressure is called academic stress which is experienced by students. Academic stress is not caused by a single reason but various factors which includes pressure to perform well, work load, pressure from parents and competition. Academic stress does not start with college, depression, nervous breakdown, headaches and strokes are observable in younger students too. Advanced educational like universities, where work load is high and allocated and based on deadline and unable to perform well in the exams are more likely to suffer from stress. Smith & peters, (2000). Friends and Family can be the best reason to relieve stress but they can also become the reason behind stress. Choose the friend that motivates and supports constantly in tough times. Keinan and Perlberg ,(1986) pointed out that the level of anxiety experienced by college students may differ from non-student peers and from one school year to
There has to be the right balance of stress that helps us to do things we might not want to do. Stress can move us forward as students. We know that too much stress is not good for students, and it keeps them from having a positive college experience. Sometimes, instead of pushing students to get things done, it makes them shut down. This is especially true for students who have had parents and family members who stepped in to pay for things or did things for them before they the feeling of stress can cause.
Most of us would agree that college is one of the most exciting, yet most challenging times of our lives. It is typically our first time living away from home for an extended period of time. When I went away to college, I was eager to embrace the next chapter of my life because it was something life-changing that I had yet to experience. However, entering college was also scary for me because nobody handed me a “how to survive college” guidebook. I feel that everyone should be given a book full of tips and tricks that outline the ups and downs that lie ahead throughout our college experience, so that we can maximize our time in school and reach our full potential. That this why this anthology is important for all of us. This anthology summarizes some of the most important tips to survive college, that I have learned thus far as a current freshman about to finish my fall semester. No matter who you are or where you come from, these few, simple tips to be explained will help ease the transition from high school and living at home to college and living on your own. This topic is meaningful because I know how it feels to go off to college excited for the journey ahead, nervous to leave family and friends, and not knowing what to expect. This guidebook should help future freshman to succeed and make the most of their