On
a largely populated college campus, Sally Slackalot
walks briskly through the student filled corridor. As she walks, she is
constantly looking at her watch, hoping she won’t be late for class again. When
Sally gets there she takes very good notes and hangs on to every word the
instructor says. However, before class ends she’s out the door rushing off to
work. Then she rushes to go hang out with her new found friends, where she
parties the night away. Neglecting the fact she has a quiz to study for, a
speech to give, and a rough draft to turn in, all due in the morning. When
morning arrives Sally is not ready for school at all. She has a major hangover
and realizes none of her school work is done. Since she is not prepared for
none of her classes, Sally decides to take the day off from school. Stressed
out by all of her commitments, Sally calls home to tell her mom she can’t
handle the demands of college life and wants to quit.
Sally’s
story is similar to most college students who fail to manage their stress.
Usually before the end of the semester students are so stressed they quit
before achieving their career goals. According to Sharon Muff (p.102), who has
a Master of Science Degree in nursing, reports college students possess a
unique set of stressors which can affect their daily lives and weaken their
academic performance. In her article she discusses stress and its impact on
college students and how it prevents students from fulfilling their educational
goals. The article supports the fact students are overwhelmed with all the
demands of college life and affects their ability to cope. Also the article
states that strategies to reduce stress for college students can be associated
with academic success.
In
order to gather more information on stress and college students I viewed
another article. The author of the article is Elizabeth Farrell. Farrell’s
article is rather short but very useful because it talks about college students
and stress. The writer acknowledges college students undergo stress and need
ways to manage it in order to be successful. She has researched several
colleges and has found that they all have implemented different programs to
reduce stress. For example, massage rooms, meditation workshops, and yoga
classes are all ways some schools are using to relieve students stress. All
these programs are located on their respective campuses. This article gives new
ways for a student to relax under stress. The ways are new and fresh: not the
averages breathe deeply and feel better type.
In
conclusion, it is important for a college student to have an effective plan in
place to manage stress. Their success counts on the ability to cope with the
heavy workloads and new demands in order to be successful. Doctors as well as
experts in the field have proven that stress can harm a student’s academic
success. They have done surveys, given their expert opinions on stress relief
techniques, as well as give the side effects of stress going unmanaged. These
experts have suggested using daily planners, exercise, and taking breaks when
the stress gets too heavy. In which all methods will work if applied when under
a lot of stress. Many people have survived college due to an effective approach
to stress and have earned their degree. Anyone can obtain academic success
through hard work, dedication and perseverance. Success does not recognize
race, gender, or cultural background but a brain willing to go the extra mile for
the sake of academic achievement.
Work Cited
Murff, Sharon Hall. “The Impact of Stress on Academic Success in College Students.”
ABNF Journal; Sep/Oct 2005: 102-.
Farrell,
of Higher Education.