College Stress Essay

Jack’s heart pounds as he casts panicked looks around the classroom. He doesn’t recognize the professor, he doesn’t know any of the students, and he can’t even figure out what the subject is. In front of him is a test. At the very last minute his roommate awakens him. It’s only another anxiety dream. The very fact that dreams like Jack’s are common suggests that college is a stressful situation for young people. The cause of this stress can be academic, financial, and personal. Academic stress is common for college students. For many students, going to college is more than just attending classes and taking notes. They usually have a hard time understanding school guidelines and deciding what major they want to study. It is very stressful to read and understand all the school policies, especially the transfer instructions. It is even harder for student to make up their mind what major they should concentrate on. Choosing the right courses and making a schedule is another headache job that students have to go through. Students often find it very tough to decide what are the right classes to take that related to their major. It is also stressful to wake up in the morning and be one time for classes. Finally, preparing and taking mid-term and final exams are the most stressful time that student encounter for the entire semester. In a similar case to Jack, my friend, Som, who is a good student at City College, always gets nervous and stays up all night to study for his mid-term and final exams. Since, school requires students to maintain their GPA to a certain point in order for them to stay in school, passing the classes and getting good grades are one of the most concerning issues for a lot of students. In addition to academic stress, students often feel financial pressure. Most of the college students work part-time while attending college. They have more responsibilities than just maintaining their GPA. Paying for their school tuition and textbooks are the big two unavoidable expenses that they have to spend. Students often complain and feel frustrated about how much they have to pay for their textbooks and other materials related to their classes. Besides these expenses, students also have other financial responsibilities as well. Paying the rent, car payments and car insurance are stressful issues that students have to deal with. Like many other college students and myself, my girlfriend has to work two part-time jobs in order for her to have enough money to pay her bills. Buying clothes, movie tickets, gifts for friends’ birthdays are other pressures that students have to cop with while they are in school. Base on these expenses, it is pretty obvious that students must have some sort of incomes that they can rely on for the expeneses so that they can service in school and accomplish their dreams. Along with academic and financial worries, students also face personal pressures. For those who have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, they have to deal with their partner’s attitude and differences. For example, I have a friend who had a boyfriend when she was in college. She had to give up her time to go to a party with her boyfriend in stead of finishing up her assigments. She had to put up with his immature and jealous attitude who wanted her to tell him wherever she went. It was a personal stress for her that she had to put up with her boyfriend while receiving so much pressure from school. Getting along with their family members is a stressful thing to deal with if they live at home with their parents. For some they get homesick and miss their family members if they live far away from home. Another stressful thing for students is achieving their goals. They usually encounter pressure from their parents or relatives when asked when they are going to complete school. They are not sure if their achievements will meet their parent’s expectation. They afraid that they might not get a good job and make enough money to support themselves after they finish school. College students often encounter pressures and streeful situations while they are in school. Academic, financial and personal stress are not new to Jack, my girlfriend and my friend as well as many other students. They’ve experienced and are experiencing this pressures while they are working hard trying to make their dreams realized.