When students first go to college they expect it to be all fun and games. They don’t know about the late nights and early mornings; they don’t understand what it’s like to sit in a classroom and feel inadequate because they don’t know the answer to a question; they don’t know the strain college will place on personal relationships because of the stress of exams. Therefore, students should not be ridiculed for their struggles in college because college can have a negative impact on a student’s mental health.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 30 percent of college students reported that stress had negatively affected their academic performance; 85 percent of college students reported they felt overwhelmed with tasks given to them during the academic year; 41.6 percent stated anxiety as the top presenting concern among college students.

These statistics are concerning because they show how college can have a negative impact on a student’s mental health. College tends to have these effects on students predominantly because it makes students feel inadequate and insecure about their shortcomings.

When a student struggles rigorously for an exam and they put their heart and soul into studying, but then they fail and are crushed. This completely destroys peoples’ confidence, and makes them question who they are and what they are capable of.

These feelings of inadequacy can lead to other mental health issues, which may cause students to completely lose focus and forget who they are. They begin showing up late to classes, then stop showing up at all. They lose complete confidence and never want to admit it.

Many people believe that failing one exam should not affect students’ mental health because they should grow up, but how could you ask a young adult in college to be resilient when they have never struggled without their parents by their side. For most college students, every time they made a mistake in the past, someone was there to tell them how to fix it. Now, they must figure out how to fix it on their own.

College is a place of self-discovery. Students will struggle with academics, but those student’s struggles should be validated. Students should be encouraged to express the issues they are having with their mental health. When college becomes extremely difficult, students should not be made to feel inadequate.  They should feel empowered by their ability to be in a difficult environment while constantly striving for success.