Every year halfway through the fall semester students seem to go through a mid-semester crisis. Midterms are around the corner, classes become too much and it becomes hard to balance school and everyday life. College is a major part of life but is it healthy when students become too stressed and have to pick between academics and their mental health?
A common thing students say is that they have to choose between a social life and their classes. There is so much pressure to get straight A’s in school that it can be overwhelming and students are tempted to give up. Time management becomes harder and some students have too many assignments and not enough time to complete them.
“I’ve had so much work to do and so little time. I still care about my school work and drive myself crazy because I’m so overtired while completing it,” Cortney Hanson, a senior, said.
Many students are involved in different activities on campus and that adds to the workload. Student athletes need to maintain a GPA of 3.5 during their season to make it on the academic team and it causes added stress and pressure to their day. They practice for hours a day as well as go to class and it can be hard to balance everything at one time.
“The most stressful things are pressure of making the academic team, performing well in class, performing well on the field as well as working, is very overwhelming and stressful,” Brittany Woodruff, a sophomore soccer player, said.
According to a survey conducted by the Associated Press and mtvU 80 percent of college students stated that they frequently experience daily stress and 34 percent have felt depressed in the past three months. Workload, extracurricular activities, sports, friends, dating and parental pressures can all be factors that contribute to the stress students feel on a daily basis.
“For me, I think it is a mixture of things that contribute to having anxiety which are school, sports, pressure from parents, being away from home and trying to fit in,”Woodruff said. “Also, I think having the mindset that you have to graduate in four years also adds stress. If you fail a class it could potentially set you back a semester or a full year and that causes many students anxiety.”
Many college students have the mindset that college is going to be the best four years of their lives so they must do everything in these four years.
The added pressure of having to make the most of college while balancing so many things can drive students crazy and to the point where they just want to give up.
“Coming into college I heard all these stories about how these are the best years of your life so make sure you enjoy every minute of it and I think many students have that mindset which can add the pressure,” Bianca Santos, a sophomore said.
The fall semester can be an extremely stressful time for first year students because of the transition from high school into college can be challenging.
“I do feel like my transition has been easier compared to others, but my workload is a lot to handle and balance with my work schedule,” Steph Barringer, first year student, said.
First year students have intense pressure when figuring out college life and it causes some students to have anxiety. According to the Associated Press, 13 percent of students are diagnosed with mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.
“School and work definitely causes my anxiety because I want to get good grades and sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough time to give my 100 percent on all my assignments since I have so many due at once,” Hanson said.
Students have a lot on their plate and with the pressure from the “real world” telling them to be involved in as many activities, internships and classes as they can, the stress piles up. Students should be able to balance school and everyday life without having to choose one over the other.
