Empowering Your College Journey
The Importance of Seeking Support
By Symone Wilson
When I entered college, I was eager to embrace independence. Excited by the prospect of new challenges, I promptly immersed myself in campus activities, embraced an active social life, and ventured into the city surrounding my campus. However, by the time junior year arrived, a noticeable shift had occurred. I had trouble completing assignments and experienced a noticeable decline in motivation, quietly stepping back from extracurricular responsibilities. The pressure of potentially losing my scholarship, coupled with a mismanagement of financial resources and difficulties securing housing only exacerbated matters. Behind the scenes, I grappled with the onset of mental health issues while maintaining a facade of normalcy. What started as a pursuit of self-reliance gave way to a pervasive sense of isolation and secrecy, and as the challenges piled up, they seemed increasingly insurmountable. By senior year my attendance and grades had declined, my relationships had suffered, and I withdrew from my studies.
While my personal story is not unique, it mirrors the experiences of many college students who enter university life with enthusiasm, often unaware of the multitude of challenges that can impact their mental well-being, academic success, and future success. For these reasons, seeking support is crucial while navigating the difficulties of university life. This ensures students have the best chance of successfully completing their studies and equips them with effective tools for reaching out for support that will sustain them in an ever changing future.
Living independently in college can evoke a range of emotions and challenges for many students. Some may struggle with homesickness, yearning for the comfort of their home support network. This sentiment is shared by others too, highlighting the significance of supplementing the college experience with a strong support network. Research reinforces the positive impact of community engagement on mental well-being, emphasizing the importance of social connections in fostering a healthy and fulfilling college life. According to one study, as the perceived level of social support increases, students are more inclined to embrace positive coping strategies, leading to improvements in their mental well-being (Mai Y, Wu YJ, Huang Y, 2021)¹. Students can cultivate a deeper sense of belonging, ease feelings of loneliness, and lean on friends for emotional support. Moreover, the increased sense of accountability can motivate students to persist in pursuing their goals alongside like-minded peers or prompt them to seek assistance in times of hardship.
As college represents a phase of exploration and opportunity, navigating the selection of a career path or major while keeping pace with the competitive academic landscape can be quite daunting. Seeking guidance from counselors or academic advisors allows students to address their academic concerns and gain valuable resources for informed decision-making. Engaging in study groups or tutoring sessions with fellow students provides a sense of reassurance, knowing that others share similar uncertainties. This can also contribute to alleviating some of the discomfort associated with culture shock, as students strive to adapt to unfamiliar cultural norms and social expectations. Students may find solace in seeking solidarity among their identity group. Through collaborative efforts, students can gain diverse perspectives, and make more knowledgeable choices about their academic and career paths.
For some, the newfound freedom of living on their own can also pose challenges in establishing and sustaining positive habits. Students might grapple with maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, effective time management, minimizing social distractions, and incorporating a self-care routine for mental well-being. Mental health struggles rank prominently among the factors impacting students’ success, with a national survey of college students in 2020 reporting that 39% of students experience depression, 34% experience anxiety, and 41% receive lifetime diagnoses of mental disorders during matriculation (DeVylder, J. et al., 2022)². Most universities provide campus counseling services that can help address mental health concerns, and student health centers can facilitate referrals to specialized professionals when necessary.
Financial concerns stand out as a pivotal factor affecting students, with reports indicating that as much as 71% of students experience stress related to their personal finances (Heckman, Lim, & Montalto, 2014)³. Navigating the complex world of fiscal decisions, from handling student loans to coping with escalating tuition rates and mastering effective resource management, presents a multifaceted challenge with far-reaching implications. According to the Department of Education, the average student loan debt for federal loans reached approximately $37,090 at the conclusion of 2023⁴.
The interaction between financial stress and adverse mental health outcomes should not be overlooked. Furthermore, the effort to strike a balance between academic commitments, social engagements, and financial demands often leads students to juggle work responsibilities, potentially contributing to feelings of burnout (Benner and Curl, 2018)⁵. To address these challenges, accessing resources and participating in workshops on financial literacy through student services or financial institutions, for example, could prove instrumental in laying the groundwork for a financially stable future. Additional avenues for support include financial aid, student employment services, and assistance from local non-profit organizations, providing valuable aid through scholarships, grants, loans, and employment opportunities as needed.
Ultimately, through a contribution-based perspective, seeking assistance not only normalizes the act of seeking support but also cultivates an environment where mutual support is encouraged. All students stand to gain from this exchange of information, impacting one another through shared and learned experiences. The experiences and support pursued in college serve as the cornerstone for shaping a well-rounded, socially conscious individual. This individual is not just prepared to navigate academic and career challenges by establishing and sustaining a support network, but is also committed to making a positive contribution to their community and the broader world.
Works Cited:
- Mai Y, Wu YJ, Huang Y. What Type of Social Support Is Important for Student Resilience During COVID-19? A Latent Profile Analysis. Front Psychol. 2021 Jun 22;12:646145. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.646145. PMID: 34239476; PMCID: PMC8258314.
- DeVylder, J., Yang, L. H., Goldstein, R., Ross, A. M., Oh, H., Zhou, S., Horowitz, L., & Bridge, J. A. (2022). Mental health correlates of stigma among college students with suicidal ideation: Data from the 2020–2021 Healthy Minds Study. Stigma and Health, 7(2), 247–250. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000376
- Heckman, S., Lim, H., & Montalto, C. (2014). Factors related to financial stress among college students. Journal of Financial Therapy, 5(1), 19–39. https://doi.org/10.4148/1944-9771.1063
- Federal Student Loan Portfolio. Federal Student Aid, an Office of the U.S. Department of Education. January 2024.
- Benner, K., and Curl, A. L. (2018). Exhausted, stressed, and disengaged: does employment create burnout for social work students? J. Soc. Work Educ. 54, 300–309. doi: 10.1080/10437797.2017.1341858
