Project 3: Case Study Analysis

Landeros 1

Project 3: Case Study Analysis

Lyanne Landeros

Pasadena City College

Professor Apiafi

HED 044

9 April 2017
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I think stress amongst college students is somewhat normal, especially for freshman. It is

all so new. They are placed a new environment, they have newfound freedom, and they also have

new classes and new responsibilities like jobs and/or a car. All of that can add up. I think that the

most shocking factor is the amount of classes and their content. High school classes do not

compare to college classes. The teachers in high school are more available, and the class sizes

tend to be smaller, especially in general education classes. College classes are also very

independent. As a college student, you also have to teach yourself some of the material because

you have to read a lot. I think that is a big stressor and it might be something that is happening to

Katya. She is obviously a good student because she has a B average, she also studies, but she

gets nervous before the tests due to anxiety. Monetary stress is also a thing in college. In high

school, you get an F; you have to retake the class. In college, you get an F, you get your financial

help taken away and if you cant afford college, what do you do? All of those stresses are

affecting Katyas mental health and her academics too.

College stress got the best of me too. High school was so easy for me. I had tons of help

and got into all my choices. Once college rolled around, I was so stressed. I didnt have help and

school was so hard and stressful for me. I did two years of undergrad and then when I started my

third year, I was just so stressed, I had a breakdown and I left school. I didnt just leave school

for the day. I didnt just leave school for the week or the semester. I left school for two years! I

just didnt go. It was too stressful. School was so hard. During my time off, I was diagnosed with

anxiety and once I started treating my anxiety, I went back to school and I finished. I have a

bachelors degree in Women and Gender Studies. If I hadnt gotten help, I would have never

gone back or even finished. Once I went back, I learned that my school had resources at the
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student center that would have helped. I wish I would have known that before dropping out for a

couple of years.

I would advise Katya to go and seek professional help. A lot of college students sill have

insurance through their parents so Id advise they take advantage of it. Also, I would advise

Katya to get more involved with her school. In an article published by Johns Hopkins University

Press (Bray, Braxton, &Sullivan, 1991), the study performed stated that students who are more

involved within their institutions tend to feel more self confident as students. Once I went back

to school, I was more confident as a person so I was more involved in class and more involved

with my classmates. Since I was so active in class, my professors knew me and that made me

feel more comfortable asking them questions when I had any. I also had relationships with my

classmates so I didnt mind just messaging them if I had a question. I think that Katya should go

and ask for help around her campus. Or even ask one of her classmates to study with her or even

go to her professors office hours. Feeling that you belong within a group is part of social health.

Therefore, if you interact with others, you can reduce some of the stress of school and improve

your social skills, which are life long skills that help maintain your overall health.

I think that you have to realize before the semester starts that the semester is not going to

be easy. School is hard, but it isnt impossible. I think that time management also helps with the

stress. The 168-hour assignment we did earlier in the semester has made me more conscious on

how I spend my time and I bought a planner and I plan something and I do it. Having physically

penciled in my plans makes me do them. I also use the alarms in my phone a lot. It has helped

me plan out my weeks.

I hope Katya gets the help she needs so that she can continue being the successful student

she has been.

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References

Bray, N. J., Braxton, J. M., & Sullivan, A. S. (1999). The Influence of Stress-Related Coping

Strategies on College Student Departure Decisions. Journal Of College Student

Development, 40(6), 645-57.