The Causes and Effects of Stress on College Students Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jacqueline McCray here at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) is very concerned about the main causes and effects of stress on college students here at UAPB. It is a fact that university administrators across the nation have the same kinds of concerns. “Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very challenging circumstances.” according to Oxforddictionaries.com. This means that stress can be very dangerous for the student and potentially everyone around them. For many students, stress is the root cause of most of the problems they face, including their emotional and physical well-being. The reasons It can affect anyone and can affect them in many different ways. Stress is not always harmful to us. Some people feel they work better when they are under pressure and stressed. If some of us weren't stressed, we would constantly procrastinate and not accomplish much in life. It can be both helpful and inspiring when we need to get things done. Bad stress can force a normally healthy person to take legal or illegal medications to overcome or suppress stress. This is especially true for students who are unorganized and far from family. There has to be the right balance of stress that helps us do things we may not want to do. Stress can make us progress as students. We know that too much stress is not good for students and prevents them from having a positive college experience. Sometimes, instead of pushing students to get things done, it makes them shut down. This is especially true for students who have had parents and family members step in for something paid for or do things for them before the queasy feeling that stress can cause. These are the students we often think of as privileged or simply spoiled. They feel it more because the stress is all new to them. Many of them said they feel stressed because they are away from their support system and thrown into a world that expects them to do things someone else has always done. Stress makes them more responsible or can destroy them. It's sad. One of the first stressors that come to mind for most people is academic stress. Student academic stress is at an all-time high for students around the world. Getting ready and getting into the college of your choice is just the stress of it. Beyond that, high school and college work are completely different in terms of the quantity and quality required. Stress can easily arise from learning new ways of doing things. Change itself is a challenge and a stressor for some people. College assignments can put enormous pressure on us, but we still need to do whatever it takes to succeed. The terrifying fear of failing out is real. Kirsten Schuder, a mental health professional and associate of Press and MTVU, conducted a survey in 2008 in which she stated: "More than half of students (60%) reported that severe stress interfered with their ability to complete tasks. homework more often than once and that this statistic reflects an increase since 2008.” In academic terms, students face stressors in college with course work and tests. We have weekly or regular tests, midterms and finals all these tests, most of us have the stress of preparing for the test to obtain a license for the field of study we intend to enter. These fields could include teaching, social work, nursing, and many other areas The tests.