Causes of Stress
As a college student, you may find that the demands of college life can create stressful situations. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes some of the more common stressors for college students:
Increased academic demands
Attending classes, completing the readings, writing papers, managing projects, and preparing for exams all put a heavy burden on students. Many students complain of professors who assign so much work that they must think theirs is the only class students are taking.
Being on your own in a new environment
Some undergraduate students are often stressed because of interpersonal relationships with peer and they experience considerable difficulty when trying to adjust to the university social network
Financial responsibilities
There are also a lot of other hidden costs related to college, such as books and school supplies, cell phones, personal care and clothing purchases, items to decorate dorm rooms, social outings, fees for joining various student clubs and organizations, and miscellaneous charges and tickets. A student may have stress getting the finances to meet this bills.
Besides the stress of having to have the financial resources to pay all these bills, some college students also work part-time — either through work-study in college or with a local employer. Because working hours takes away from studying hours, the need to work also causes stress.
Social Stress
College freshmen face the most obvious social challenges that usually involve leaving one’s entire support structure behind, creating a new social network, dealing with being away from home for the first time, and finding less parental support. Because of these changes, most students face social stress.
Preparing for life after graduation
The crushing uncertainty of the next few years and the pressure to succeed in spite of it can at times feel suffocating to college students. With no playbook to turn to, recent graduates and current students are left feeling utterly disillusioned and confused on which step to take into their life after graduation.