Many Wildcats are coming to the end of an incomparable time in their lives. The undergraduate experience is different for everyone but there is no doubt that these are years we will forever cherish and look back to when we move to the start of our careers.
The college experience is unique in the fact that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, but throughout this experience, students are expected to juggle so much to the point of break. Even as a college career comes to an end, the start of our careers begins with anxiety.
In my opinion, the amount of pressure we put on graduating seniors is not the finish line we should lay forth.
Graduating seniors are expected to finish strong in those upper-division classes, continue their extracurricular activities, and in some cases hold a part-time job. All while trying not to have a mental break down in the middle of the library.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems among college students. Medical News Today stated that anxiety may be caused by environmental factors, such as stress from a personal relationship, job, school, finances or a traumatic event.
Students are in a weird limbo in that they are adults and have a certain number of responsibilities but are still somewhat not fully part of the “real world.” We are taught that multi-tasking and time management are key skills needed in order to succeed in college.
Even more so for post-graduation, where skipping class strategically can still get you an A in class but skipping a day of work as a mental health day can hinder your performance review. Graduating seniors must prepare for starting their careers, not that thinking about the rest of your life is enough pressure but the pressure we put on having a job lined up after graduation is enough to send students over the edge.
College is a learning environment and being stressed out because of all the things you have to juggle and stay on top of will definitely prepare students for starting their careers. However, I do not necessarily agree with the fact that in our last semester of our undergrad we should add a whole new stress of trying to figure out what we are going to do with the rest of our life.
The market is competitive and we are expected to build that resume until the day we walk across the stage in May. There are no breaks given in order to take time and truly think about the future. Applications must be submitted all while still in undergraduate courses.
I believe this is not the right way to end this unique phase of life. Truly, there are better ways to get students started in their careers. We must take into consideration all the different obstacles students may face throughout their college career. It can take a toll on a person’s overall well being, only to look forward to the rest of their life with the same stress.
Nicte Hernandez can be reached at [email protected] or @nicteh7 on Twitter.
