Stressors Among Undergraduate Students at China Agricultural University: Practical Observations from Teaching Experience | Biomedgrid

Stress among college students is a factor that many institutions are not well equipped to handle. Yet, the many stressors this group faces pose a stark reality: Coping with high levels of stress at a time that they don't have the life experience or family support to deal with it. Students entering college are leaving their nuclear family, often getting a roommate, frequently starting a romantic relationship, getting a part time job and dealing with an employer, taking entrance exams, facing exams and quizzes in their classes, piling up a small mountain of student debt and trying to determine their future in a job market that offers diminishing possibilities. This altogether accounts for several years of a high stress environment that can leave them shaken and uncertain. This article contains some observations on stress faced by students at China Agricultural University (CAU) in Beijing. CAU is a highly ranked agricultural university in China with a focus on agriculture, biology, engineering, veterinary medicine, economics, management, humanities and social science [1]. The students are in a very competitive environment which challenges the faculty and administration to control, so that their educational experience can be both positive and productive. Albrecht's four types of stress provide a useful categorization tool for organizing our observations: Time, Anticipatory, Situational and Encounter Stress. We will provide some examples of each, which may help administrators to craft an institutional response.