Mental health articles

Stressors by College Year
Th ere are some stresses that tend to apply to all students. A recent informal
survey at the University of Wisconsin seems consistent with many other university
surveys in pointing to the following most frequently mentioned stressors
(McGrath, 2005):
1. Academic concerns, high academic demands
2. Unrealistic expectations in a course
3. Confl ict in a living situation
4. Starting or maintaining relationships
Th ere are also some stresses particular to diff erent phases of college. Th us
in the fi rst year, moving into a residence hall and meeting many new persons
is, for many students, a challenging adjustment. Most incoming students are
not accustomed to sharing a room, let alone with a new acquaintance. Nor
are they used to living in close proximity with a few hundred peers. For some
students, these experiences can feel overwhelming.
Some other common fi rst-year stressors are
1. Separating from family (while separation is developmentally
appropriate and some students are eager to get away, others fi nd the
separation to be diffi cult.)
2. Separating from friends
3. Taking college-level courses for the fi rst time
4. Living closely with others who may be undergoing personal diffi culties
5. Assuming personal responsibility for time allocation
6. Balancing academic demands with other priorities and distractions
7. Dealing with self-induced or external pressure to perform well
academically
8. Fitting in and fi nding a new friendship network
Th ough the common stressors are not as clear-cut aft er the fi rst year, a few
common stressors can be tied to later phases of the college career:
Second-Year Students
1. Shift ing from residence halls to local housing
2. Beginning to feel pressure related to choice of major
3. Dealing with continued academic pressure
4. Dealing with the pressure to contribute to fi nancial costs by taking
a part-time job (some fi rst-year students experience this stress, but
more second-year students seem to have part-time work expectations.)
Th ird-Year Students
1. Dealing with heightened pressure to choose a major, if one hasn’t
been already declared
2. Dealing with increasing concern about grades, if course of studies
requires graduate school
3. Again, oft en dealing with the pressure to take on part-time work,
increasing sense of time pressure
4. Coping with an increase in large projects for advanced courses
Fourth- and Fift h-Year Students
1. Making postgraduate decisions
2. Dealing with relationship issues, many of which are accentuated as a
result of the imminent change in the student’s life situation
Graduate Students
1. Adjusting to a new environment
2. Adjusting to an increased sense of responsibility for being selfproductive
3. Dealing with an increased tension between academic and family
responsibilities
4. Handling the expectation to produce publishable papers
5. Dealing with a heightened level of self-evaluation related to being at
a new academic level
6. Balancing academic demands and social interests
7. If not in a relationship, struggling with the implications of that
circumstance
5. Interpersonal confl icts
6. Family issues, e.g., separation issues or confl ict
7. Financial issues