Online Editor Austin Schumann talks about stress and how much people should deal with
By: AUSTIN SCHUMANN
Online Editor
There is a problem affecting hundreds of young people across the world. This disease has gone unnoticed because it is considered a rite of passage for young people as they enter adulthood. This affliction goes by many names but is felt by all: stress The average age of a college student is 29, according to the American Association of Community Colleges. People in this age group should not be subjected to the type of stress forced upon them daily. This is evident from the questions they are constantly asked “What college are you going to?” “What is your major?” “Where are you going to get a job?” College students are expected to have the answer to these questions at the tip of their tongue at any given moment. According to a study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 80 percent of students change their majors at least once, while some average from three to four. Many college orientations will include this fact and say it is okay to make those changes. But if only a few students stick with the degree they chose as a freshman in college, why even bother picking a major that early? It makes more sense to stay undecided and take general education classes. They should also take a few electives until they decide for sure what they want to do with their lives. Surely this makes more sense than going through the hassle of changing majors – not to mention all of the paperwork. People pick their majors so they can prove to their family, friends and people they have never met that they have direction in life and are not wasting anyone’s time. College is a person’s best years, a time for them to come into themselves and decide who they truly are. This is not to say they should be totally devoid of responsibility. Getting good grades and a degree is only part of college. The other part is to ready themselves for being an adult, learning to live on their own and taking care of themselves with a bit of a safety net for backup. Whether that safety net is in the form of money from a family member or living with friends to split the cost, there is always support. It makes no sense to try and prepare for the responsibilities of adulthood by having them taken away right from the start. It is a matter of gradually learning to deal with the responsibilities as they come up. So go out and spread the word. Bring awareness to the disproportionate amount of stress the average college student deals with all the time. It is time to go out and have the time of our lives, the time to have fun and be ourselves, but maybe hold off on spending the rest of the rent money in the club.
