Drexel students experience an excessive amount of stress, and there should be a remedy to that problem on campus. It is no secret that most college students are stressed. After all, it is rather ordinary to feel stress when faced with challenges, which is the norm for students striving for academic success. However, too much stress is never a good thing. In fact, it can be detrimental for your health. Excess stress has been linked to physical ailments such as weakened immune systems, high blood pressure and even heart disease. Excess stress has also been linked to causing mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression. This is quite problematic, considering the fact that most college students are extremely stressed about a wide range of problems. Such problems wade past the usual stress that comes from taking exams. College students are suddenly thrust into the adult world of doing taxes, worrying about loans, etc. Stress is somewhat inevitable for Drexel students. The fast-paced, 10-week terms can go by in a blink of an eye, and no amount of preparation can steady the stress of having everything due all at once.
Drexel offers a wide array of ways for its students to relieve stress like stress management programs, CAB events and various stress relief events. However, these events do not have a constant presence through the term. The biggest complaint most students have when it comes to these events are that they happen once or twice, and then they are over. It can be hard for students, who are already being bombarded by exams and assignments, to try and clear their schedule during some of the busiest times of the term. Additionally, Drexel’s commuters can experience even more difficulty trying to make time for a specific event that happens once or twice a term.
There are a lot of things that can be done by the university to help students rein-in their stress. Drexel could look at increasing the frequency of the stress relief events and workshops. If they scheduled it more often, then perhaps students would be able to actually make time for them and take advantage of the resources provided. Various other campuses around the country have started setting up meditation rooms for students who need the peace, or even ball pits for students to play in. Overall, the presence of a stress-free zone that is open throughout the course of the term could be very beneficial to students as a way to relieve themselves of stress.
While some people stand firm in their belief that such resources on campus are unnecessary, and that students are being overindulged, it is important for us to recognize the growing trend of increased student stress. There is a problem, and it should be acknowledged instead of brushed off. Increased stress will only be harming our community’s students, and will only cap their success instead of allowing it to flourish. After all, schools and students alike would benefit from maintaining a low-stress environment, since students would be able to perform better in their academic careers, which in turn, would benefit the community.