Why is it that almost every incoming freshman thinks that college isn’t going to be all that different from high school? Every year a brand spanking new batch of 18 year olds heads off to college. Some make it and some fall victim to the enormous amount of stress generated by college. While every student is different, there are some common causes of college stress that should be addressed.

A leading cause of college stress is the amount of change student’s face. Everything about their lives changes from where they lay their head at night to what they eat for breakfast. Unfortunately, a lot of people have a hard time with change – it can be a leading cause of stress.

While the financial pressures of college do not affect all students, many of them are. Students who are paying their own way or helping out with their tuition often find trying to balance work and school difficult and stressful. Unfortunately a student has to work they must find a way to balance these two activities.

College is also, to a large degree, self-paced. Vast amounts of reading material, large reports and exams are, for the most part, the responsibility of the student. Many have difficulty with the fact that their professors are not reminding them constantly of assignments and dates. Unless a student finds a way to manage their studies, they can end up very stressed out.

Finally, many students find themselves stressed out by their performance. Students who aren’t pulling the grades they are accustomed to find themselves feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.  Until such students find a way to address their grades or except lower standards, they are likely to remain stressed.

Almost all college students are stressed out about one thing or another – the trick is learning to manage the stress before it gets out of hand.