Stressed Out Students in a Stressful Economy

College students are probably, for the most part, mentally and physically some of the unhealthiest group of people. They're sleep deprived, usually don't have the time or money to make consistent healthy meals so they're eating crap, and most commonly, they're stressed out. It makes me angry when I've had friends tell me how much busier they are then I am or that they're way more stressed than I am, because really, every college student is stressed with their own problems.

However, in recent years, studies have shown that the stress levels of college students have increased to alarming rates. In 1985, a survey asked students if they felt their emotional health was above average or below average, and the results showed that only 35% of students said they felt they were below average, and the remaining 65% said it was above average. The same survey was taken again last year, and the results have changed dramatically. In just 26 years, 49% of students felt their health was below average, and 51% felt it was above average. Other studies have found that more students are being prescribed medication for depression and stress even before they get to college.

So why the sudden change? The answer is most likely our ongoing declining economy, which adds to students financial stress, and not just the expenses of college, but also their own college debt as well as the job prospects once they graduate. I happen to be one of these college students, I'm supposed to graduate with a degree in Integrated Multimedia next year, and I'm terrified of being unable to find a job. The truth is, when I was growing up, myself and people in my classes were told that we would go to college, get degrees, and get good jobs and be successful like our parents. That is what we were all promised. That is not the case today, more people than ever are losing their jobs and people with master's degrees are applying for jobs they are over-qualified for.

Students today are going into college knowing that their graduating class is more likely to be less successful than when our parents were in college, and everyone's worried that even with a college degree they won't find a job that pays more than minimum wage. A lot of students in college can't afford it to begin with, and more students are taking out loans than ever before, so the debt they will have to pay is another ongoing crisis.