The start of final exams brings late night study sessions, hot cups of coffee and more stress than any other time of the year.
Karen Settle, Ph.D, is the director of counseling and testing services at SMU. As far as the different forms of student stress, Dr. Settle said the Counseling and Testing Center staff “see[s] the whole gamut.” She cited a few examples, such as students with “problems self-regulating” and others with “unrealistically high” expectations.
With academic pressure to maintain high grades, keep scholarships and perhaps get accepted into medical or law school, many SMU students cite academic stress as the prevailing stress in their lives.
Kristin Mannino, a freshman mechanical engineering and math major, experiences this stress on a large scale. She studies seven hours on a typical day. Mannino’s roommate, Maddie Linnard, said, “Sometimes I feel like I don’t have a roommate because she is always so stressed and at the library working on the millions of things she has to do-sometimes she gives up breakfast and sleep.”
Besides sacrificing sleep for studying, many students compromise their health when they are under extreme stress. Mannino said, “I have a tendency of making myself sick when the workload becomes overwhelming-I usually end up giving myself a headache or stomachache so I can’t study even if I wanted to.”
“Women cause men stress, and lots of it,” said sophomore Kent Spenner.
Although this statement may ring true with some men on campus, social stress only accounts for one of the numerous forms of stress prevalent in the daily lives of college students. Spenner noted that “stress is compounded” from the “academic, social and physical” domains.
For a breath of fresh air, many stressed students call their parents or close friends. Sophomore Thomas Morstead said, “I call my girlfriend every night. I look forward to it everyday- it ends the day on a good note.”
Mannino calls her family in Wisconsin when life gets hectic. “I call my mom because she always has a way of putting things in perspective. She has a way of making me understand I just need to calm down and work through it day by day.”
Although stress often connotes a negative state, some students believe stress is good for them. Senior Elsa Monge said that a “moderate amount of stress is good– it pushes you. It helps me be more productive at times.”
Information on www.mindtools.com supports these assertions. The site states, “As pressure on us increases, we enter the ‘area of best performance.’ Here, we are able to focus on the task and perform well — there is enough pressure on us to focus our attention but not so much that it disrupts our performance.”
Because too much stress can be taxing on an individual, many students have discovered ways to keep stress at manageable levels. “I work ahead,” Monge stated. The Resident Assistant also has a “bedtime” of 11:30 p.m. during the week and gets up at 6:30 a.m. to work out before her classes.
Morstead sees the importance of getting ample rest as well. “One of my priorities is getting enough sleep— I average eight hours a night,” he said. The SMU football player added, “I get all my work done during the week.” Morstead does not go out to parties or clubs during the week like many SMU students. “It’s making sacrifices,” he said.
Students make many choices that directly affect their levels of stress, but Monge noted that uncontrollable events can also affect stress. With graduation in May, Monge said that the “uncertainty of the near future” is often difficult for seniors to handle. “It’s a new part of your life you’re about to step into, but you’re not sure how it’s gonna start.”
After acknowledging that countless college students are “stressed out,” the question stands as to what they will do to reduce these high stress levels.
Stress could become more intense and pervasive throughout life if students do not learn to cope with it effectively. According to www.apahelpcenter.org,, “Chronic stress kills through suicide, violence, heart attack, stroke, and, perhaps, even cancer.”
For students who want to discuss their stress and acquire tools to handle it better, SMU has a rich resource at its disposal. The Counseling and Testing Center provides free therapy to SMU students. On the first visit, students can expect a 45-minute meeting to record their history and evaluate their needs. Dr. Settle says the Center adheres to a “brief therapy model.”
Dr. Settle noted that for minor stress, many students are advised to exercise regularly, eat better, improve their “self-care” and get involved on campus. Dr. Settle also encourages students to take advantage of other resources on campus such as the LEC for academic assistance and the chaplain for students with problems in their spiritual life.
Students can reach the Counseling and Testing Center by phone at 214-768-2211 or visit them on the second floor of the Memorial Health Center.
