(Not so) Shocking Statistics

Every year, UCLA does a survey of over 200,000 college freshman from 290 colleges and universities. The survey asks about emotional health, financial worries, political stances, and reasons for entering college. While this survey has been conducted for several years, I didn't hear about it until now. Apparently its results are making national news because of one area: emotional well-being. A record low number of students reported their emotional well-being as above average and a record high number of incoming students reported feeling overwhelmed before even entering college. Stress levels are up and so is depression. While the news is making these statistics out to be shocking and out of the blue, I personally can't see how anyone didn't see this coming.

Nowadays, high school graduates are expected to go to college. Anyone who decides to take a different path is often viewed as lazy or stupid. Movies paint college as a 4-year long party. No stress, no worries, just lots of alcohol and plenty of sex. Classes are optional, tests are easy, and studying is for nerds. No wonder college freshman are stressed and depressed! They get to college and try to live it like the movies but they soon find themselves failing classes, on academic probation, pregnant, or burnt out. I'm not speaking from inexperience here, I've seen all of these things happen. I know college freshman that have flunked out or had babies. I know what it's like to be miserable, but that's a completely different story.

Instead of dwelling on the terrible statistics, shouldn't we be trying to fix them? High schools need to do a better job at preparing their students for college. Teachers need to stop babying high school seniors and make them realize that a college professor is going to give you one due date. They don't care who ate your homework, what game was on last night, or who got broken up with. They just want your paper. The media needs to stop showing as much of the fun part of college and get real. Sure, going to parties is fun. But parties last five hours or so, leaving plenty of extra time that should be used for studying. Nerds aren't the only ones who study. I've seen basketball players in the library. I have to fight for a table every day just so I can put my stuff down in our crowded 5 floor library!

And if you're struggling with your emotional well-being right now, please remember that it will get better. It may not seem like it now, but I promise it will. It was only a year ago that I was sitting in my dorm room wondering when I'd be able to genuinely smile again. Now I'm happier than I've ever been. Isolate the cause of your stress and remove it.

I really don't know why I wrote all of this, I just felt like it needed to be said. /end rant.