Spring Break
College students and stress
Janhavi Purohit
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Health & Fitness
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College students face severe stress, due to a combination of academic and social pressures, according to an article on MSNBC.com.
There is a broad range of issues which cause students stress, John Watson, Director of alcohol, other drug and health education and director of counseling, said.
"Winter term, finals, not feeling good-the stress may translate into depression. It's cold outside, activities are restricted, so people find themselves not having fun-that creates more stress in their lives," Watson said.
Watson said that another common source of stress for students was making changes within their majors.
"It's a fairly difficult thing to do here at Drexel," Watson said.
According to Watson, the 10 week versus 15 week terms at other schools adds to the academic pressure on students.
"Our term schedules make academic pressures more stressful. We have students spreading midterms out over three weeks, as opposed to just getting it all done in one week like other schools," Watson said. "Three out of 15 weeks someplace else isn't that big a deal, but three out of 10 is much more difficult."
Watson said that it is important for students suffering from high-stress levels to take some basic steps to alleviate their problems.
"If students successfully find a support group their first year, it makes their next three or four years easier," Watson said. "If they struggle with that, it becomes really challenging for them to deal and get through as they are upperclassmen."
Some of the more positive ways that students tend to address their stress-related issues is to relax with their friends, according to Watson.
"They'll set the book down at five on Friday, go to the movies, hang out with their friends, maybe get involved with other student activities on campus," Watson said.
Watson added that students should take time off for themselves, and spend time doing things they enjoy.
"Take advantage of some of the things that Philadelphia has to offer-there's a lot of culture in this city. Enjoy it," Watson said.
Another important strategy, according to Watson, is to talk to friends and family members, or, for more serious situations, to go to the Student Health and Counseling Center, located in the Creese student center.
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