Recently, the Associated Press and mtvU conducted a study of 2,253 undergraduate students at 40 randomly selected campuses regarding student stress cases; students from ages 18-24 completed the questionnaires. The study shows that an alarming majority of college students feel stressed "all of the time."
Not surprising, according to the survey, most college students are stress cases. Eight in 10 surveyed said that they experienced stress in their daily lives. However, the problem lies in students' inability to handle stress. Stress seemed to manifest itself in lack of motivation and trouble sleeping, thinking or concentrating.
"When I'm really stressed I loose sleep to the point that it takes me hours to fall asleep," Lindsay Kennedy, CBA '09, said. "Then, once I fall asleep, it is also sporadic and makes me tired for my classes."
The report also found that college students not only worried about common concerns such as schoolwork, grades, body image, roommates and classes, but also money, family issues and romantic relationships.
As expected, college students, including those at Fordham, find the most stressful times of the year to be midterms and finals. While finals count more toward final grades, they take place during scheduled times after classes end and only two can be in the say day.
"Midterms are definitely more stressful because they take place during regularly scheduled classes, in addition to papers, and you can have multiple midterms in one day, up to 4," Bryan Reilly, CBA '08, said.
Even when midterms and finals are not a direct concern, students can still be stressed. While the report does not ask professors, when asked on campus, most admit to noticing when their students exhibit higher levels of stress. Professors claim we give ourselves away in our facial expressions and body language. Also, preoccupation is most commonly seen in addition to anxiety and quality of work.
The most startling fact of the report is that nine percent of those surveyed had seriously considered suicide in the past year. Those who did not, still suffer from serious symptoms of depression and anxiety. Most Fordham students and half of those surveyed were familiar with mental-health resources on their campus. Only 20 percent surveyed would take advantage of those services.
2008 Woodie Awards
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