In August 2021, an article by Maria Carrasco was published by Inside Higher Ed about college freshman and why they are struggling with mental health issues like anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and burnout. A study was done by the annual “Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement” and found that “53 percent of first-year students reported a substantial increase in mental and emotional exhaustion.” While this survey was conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem still stands with college freshman experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, exhaustion, and burnout, and Eureka College is no exception.
Being a freshman in college has its ups and downs. Students are excited to start this new chapter of their lives, ready to make new friends, and create memories for a lifetime, but what isn’t being talked about is the hardships that college brings. Classes become more difficult, some students are missing their friends and family back home, while other students don’t have a place to go back to. There is also a financial burden that students go through which can cause anxiety in students struggling to pay their way through school while also taking care of themselves. Students at the college went through similar issues their freshman year and even beyond who will remain anonymous.
“My freshman year was by far my least favorite year of college. When I graduated from high school, I felt like I was on top of the world, but then I came to college and realized I was back at the bottom of the food chain,” one student said.
“I made a lot of bad decisions my freshman year to try and fit in with everyone else, which put me in a bad mental and physical state, which caused my grades to suffer. Now that I’m out of my freshman year I try to keep others from making the same mistakes I made,” another student said.
All this to say that while coming into college can bring so much joy, there is another layer that has not been talked about enough. It’s important to remember that the leap from high school to college is different for everyone. Eureka College and beyond needs to do a better job supporting those around us and checking in on our friends and family. Bruce Fowlkes, our Eureka College Chaplain, provides insight as to why this problem is happening, and the resources we have that will help students.
“The pressure that comes with college can be intense for some students. Picking a major, finding our sense of identity, and how we define it. Putting yourself out there as a freshman can be hard, especially after the pandemic which harmed everyone to some degree”. He also notes how the transition between high school and college is drastic and often harms students if they do not advocate for themselves.
“There is always a transition at the beginning and transition at the end. It is new and unfamiliar. You need to come in with the expectation that you need to take care of yourself and that is what will help with the transition. It takes time to prioritize your mental health, and a lot of people don’t do it until it’s too late,” Fowlkes said.
It’s important to note that Eureka college has many tools to help students prioritize their mental health. If you are struggling, please use some of the resources that are provided by the college. If you are wanting to help ease the transition or trying to make the most out of your college experience, please reach out to others who are mostly going through the same struggles, join one of the many student organizations on campus, or create your own by talking to the Office of Student Life, and prioritize your own mental and physical health.
