bloodwood
Full Member, Forum Supporter
I have studied and worked at a local college for some 27 years and have made some observations. Student, as a group, face some unique pressures.
Performance Demands
The most obvious one is the performance pressure that they get from teachers and the school and themselves.
They must study in a new environment under conditions they may not be familiar with. High school is different from college or university.
With each semester there is a cycle of ebb and flow of performance pressure. By the end of the semester we see a higher rate of disturbance incidents on campus. The all-nighters doing assignments or studying for exams. Combating fatigue, disruptive room mates, poor study habits or just not understanding the subject material.
Due to stress these students can be more confrontational when dealing with staff and each other. Staff also see themselves under higher demands and stress levels at that time of year due to administrative demands so it can be a bit of a boiling pot at times.
The demands are great: Succeed. Perform. Exceed. Don't be a failure. Prove your worth, Future income, self value, family value, social value all weigh in on their need to perform.
If the parents are involved they want the best for the students and understand the future needs performance today. Sometimes the parent can place an unhealthy and distructive level of pressure and expectation that adds to student strain. And this can have all kinds of associated baggage from home tied to it .
Sometimes the parent is not part of their life due to age, family history, distance or death. But there can still be a standing inference of pressure.
Some students attend because they have a solid plan and are working towards a goal. Other students attend because that is just what you do after high school.
A different set of motivations.
Away From Home
For many young students this is their first time away from home and being on their own. They may be homesick, undiciplined or in shock.
Students, because of their age and because of the pressure, can suffer depression which of course affects their studies and whether they stay in school. Their friends and family support structure has been disrupted. And whether it was a healthy structure or not, it is a change.
We see students break down and have trouble because they aren't adjusting well to being away from the familiar. But they also face a separation from the source of some of their own baggage and reflect on some of their new feelings in a way that they didn't while at home. It can be troubling as things begin to emerge.
The student may be undisciplined as the "leash" is released and see it as a party zone. Drugs, alcohol, parties and peer pressure. This can also disrupt more focused students. It certainly assures that the partier's academic performance will suffer. We see a high level of drop out after the first semester as some of these students eliminate themselves.
Or the student may be in shock.
We get students from all over the world. All countries, all cultures, all standards of living. I commonly speak to students who have never seen snow. Did not have electricity in their village, nor a phone. We have Inuit and aboriginal people from all over who are used to a very closely bonded community life. When they encounter the cold city and distant people it can be extrememly isolating and shocking. "why don't people talk to each other here?"
Compared to some countries we are very permissive. What they might have been punished or killed for in their home country is done openly here. I remember a young man from india who struggled to adjust to the idea that some of the women he befriended here would visit a bar yet not be a prostitute.
The language can be unfamiliar which makes human contact difficult but then imagine studying technichal terms and theories in a new language. Stress? And the foods may be different.
These child/adults will often arrive and be esscorted by their parents during the orientation phases. These parents may still see the student as their little child, rather than the adult that is emerging. In an ideal world the child has been prepared for life. Respected and expected to respect and be independant.
Some parents haven't prepared their child in this way though. They have raise a very dependant child who they loved but coddled and protected. The dependancy can hold them back and delay adjustment. We get parents who phone and ask for the student's marks and we have to explain that the adult student has a right to privacy and has not signed any forms allowing access to private information. This does not always sit right especially when that parent may have paid the tuition.
Many of these students have not been taught basic life skills yet. Budgeting, buying their own clothes, cooking, buying groceries, laundry, etc. This can add a new demand to the adjustment load.
Disabilities, physical or Learning disabilities, without their familiar support may be a whole new challenge.
Many students find that time and money are usually rare. They can't relax and enjoy an evening of TV because of assignments. Money demands may be so bad that rent and food are in question. How do you focus and study under those conditions. You might manage to get a part time job but must balance it with class work load or face dropping out.
There are so many aspects to being at college or university for the first time that can impact and add stress for a person.
Self Discovery
The new student finds that so much is new compared to what they are familiar with. Their traditions and beliefs are questioned as they meet many very nice people who do not believe what they believe about culture, religion, hygene practices, sexuality, etc. It goes well beyond their familiar framework.
There is questioning and self discovery and the imbalances that they cause. Doubtful vs bravado. A new self identity is shaped.
They must look at the future, career and social decisions. As they near the end of the course the pressure actually increases as the graduate and must face the real world. Getting a job, using what they have learned. Was it all just a waste of time? Schools set up simulations and placement coops to help the student make the transition. It helps but the fear and doubt still exist for most.
They also have a new opportunity for relationships which in some cases may be contrary to their past experience and culture. How should they deal with this?
Not All Young
Not all of the students are young. Many are over 25 years and beyond.
Older students, often have family they are trying to support. How do you be a mom or dad when you are trying to manage money, do assignments and get the laundry done? How much can a person juggle?
I have known many students who faced a day of busing kids to day care then getting themselves to school. Go to classes Do assignments then get back to day care on the bus, get the kids home and fed. Get them to Mom's house so that the student can then go back to school to do an assignment. Phew. Not a life I would envy.
For many older students they must deal with the blow of a previous job loss and possible career change in their later years. It may have been a long time since they last entered a school. They now face new technology and the social stigma of attending with kids in their teens. Older people are also sent to school due to a major injury preventing them from preforming their previous job. The injury must be coped with as well and a career change.
Students, as a group, face some unique pressures.
Peter
Performance Demands
The most obvious one is the performance pressure that they get from teachers and the school and themselves.
They must study in a new environment under conditions they may not be familiar with. High school is different from college or university.
With each semester there is a cycle of ebb and flow of performance pressure. By the end of the semester we see a higher rate of disturbance incidents on campus. The all-nighters doing assignments or studying for exams. Combating fatigue, disruptive room mates, poor study habits or just not understanding the subject material.
Due to stress these students can be more confrontational when dealing with staff and each other. Staff also see themselves under higher demands and stress levels at that time of year due to administrative demands so it can be a bit of a boiling pot at times.
The demands are great: Succeed. Perform. Exceed. Don't be a failure. Prove your worth, Future income, self value, family value, social value all weigh in on their need to perform.
If the parents are involved they want the best for the students and understand the future needs performance today. Sometimes the parent can place an unhealthy and distructive level of pressure and expectation that adds to student strain. And this can have all kinds of associated baggage from home tied to it .
Sometimes the parent is not part of their life due to age, family history, distance or death. But there can still be a standing inference of pressure.
Some students attend because they have a solid plan and are working towards a goal. Other students attend because that is just what you do after high school.
A different set of motivations.
Away From Home
For many young students this is their first time away from home and being on their own. They may be homesick, undiciplined or in shock.
Students, because of their age and because of the pressure, can suffer depression which of course affects their studies and whether they stay in school. Their friends and family support structure has been disrupted. And whether it was a healthy structure or not, it is a change.
We see students break down and have trouble because they aren't adjusting well to being away from the familiar. But they also face a separation from the source of some of their own baggage and reflect on some of their new feelings in a way that they didn't while at home. It can be troubling as things begin to emerge.
The student may be undisciplined as the "leash" is released and see it as a party zone. Drugs, alcohol, parties and peer pressure. This can also disrupt more focused students. It certainly assures that the partier's academic performance will suffer. We see a high level of drop out after the first semester as some of these students eliminate themselves.
Or the student may be in shock.
We get students from all over the world. All countries, all cultures, all standards of living. I commonly speak to students who have never seen snow. Did not have electricity in their village, nor a phone. We have Inuit and aboriginal people from all over who are used to a very closely bonded community life. When they encounter the cold city and distant people it can be extrememly isolating and shocking. "why don't people talk to each other here?"
Compared to some countries we are very permissive. What they might have been punished or killed for in their home country is done openly here. I remember a young man from india who struggled to adjust to the idea that some of the women he befriended here would visit a bar yet not be a prostitute.
The language can be unfamiliar which makes human contact difficult but then imagine studying technichal terms and theories in a new language. Stress? And the foods may be different.
These child/adults will often arrive and be esscorted by their parents during the orientation phases. These parents may still see the student as their little child, rather than the adult that is emerging. In an ideal world the child has been prepared for life. Respected and expected to respect and be independant.
Some parents haven't prepared their child in this way though. They have raise a very dependant child who they loved but coddled and protected. The dependancy can hold them back and delay adjustment. We get parents who phone and ask for the student's marks and we have to explain that the adult student has a right to privacy and has not signed any forms allowing access to private information. This does not always sit right especially when that parent may have paid the tuition.
Many of these students have not been taught basic life skills yet. Budgeting, buying their own clothes, cooking, buying groceries, laundry, etc. This can add a new demand to the adjustment load.
Disabilities, physical or Learning disabilities, without their familiar support may be a whole new challenge.
Many students find that time and money are usually rare. They can't relax and enjoy an evening of TV because of assignments. Money demands may be so bad that rent and food are in question. How do you focus and study under those conditions. You might manage to get a part time job but must balance it with class work load or face dropping out.
There are so many aspects to being at college or university for the first time that can impact and add stress for a person.
Self Discovery
The new student finds that so much is new compared to what they are familiar with. Their traditions and beliefs are questioned as they meet many very nice people who do not believe what they believe about culture, religion, hygene practices, sexuality, etc. It goes well beyond their familiar framework.
There is questioning and self discovery and the imbalances that they cause. Doubtful vs bravado. A new self identity is shaped.
They must look at the future, career and social decisions. As they near the end of the course the pressure actually increases as the graduate and must face the real world. Getting a job, using what they have learned. Was it all just a waste of time? Schools set up simulations and placement coops to help the student make the transition. It helps but the fear and doubt still exist for most.
They also have a new opportunity for relationships which in some cases may be contrary to their past experience and culture. How should they deal with this?
Not All Young
Not all of the students are young. Many are over 25 years and beyond.
Older students, often have family they are trying to support. How do you be a mom or dad when you are trying to manage money, do assignments and get the laundry done? How much can a person juggle?
I have known many students who faced a day of busing kids to day care then getting themselves to school. Go to classes Do assignments then get back to day care on the bus, get the kids home and fed. Get them to Mom's house so that the student can then go back to school to do an assignment. Phew. Not a life I would envy.
For many older students they must deal with the blow of a previous job loss and possible career change in their later years. It may have been a long time since they last entered a school. They now face new technology and the social stigma of attending with kids in their teens. Older people are also sent to school due to a major injury preventing them from preforming their previous job. The injury must be coped with as well and a career change.
Students, as a group, face some unique pressures.
Peter
