College Admissions and Mental Health

College Admissions and Mental Health: Promoting Student Well-Being

The time of year has come when high school seniors have received admissions decisions from colleges.

The relief of submitting their final applications has led to the anxiety of waiting for responses from schools. This anticipation is one of the most stressful times in a collegebound high school senior’s life. Coping with this weighs heavily on the students as it is one of the most monumental transitions in their lives. The College Board reported that over 70% of seniors admitted that they were stressed about college. Currently, the end of another very stressful college admissions season is not over for those students who have been waitlisted by their top schools, and the waitlist time could extend through early-mid summer. Of course, some of the tension will be alleviated as students must make a college choice based on the decisions they have received. If there is an opportunity to move off of a waitlist the students can choose to do so by foregoing their initial deposit at the school to which they committed by May 1. This stressful time can bring anxiety, pressure, guilt, shame, embarrassment and depression, and as a result, these conditions can become exacerbated when classes begin. A decade ago, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) surveyed college students living with mental health conditions in order to hear directly from them about whether colleges were meeting their needs and what improvements would be needed to support their academic experiences. These concerns are very important because colleges across the country continue to report large increases in the prevalence and severity of student mental health conditions. lege. The belief that success will only result by attending a specific college puts an enormous amount of pressure on the student. Believe that

college is about the experiences and what he or she does while there that will make the difference, not the name of the school.

5. Students should assess their approach to school and overall lifestyle, prior to making appropriate adjustments better aligned with success. Most often highest performance levels of any kind (school, sports, career) depend heavily on lifestyle choices. Students should continue to practice self-assessment strategies throughout college and their professional lives. NEPA Career and College Counseling Associates would like to wish all graduating high school seniors a successful, healthy and happy future!

It is important to recognize the signs when stress starts to affect student overall mental health and wellbeing. These can include:

• Insomnia or chronic trouble sleeping • Lack of motivation • Anxiety that results • in physical symptoms • (hair loss, nail biting, • losing weight) • Depression (withdrawal • from friends, sleeping • excessively and appetite • • changes) • Mood swings (bursting • into tears, bouts of anger) Some coping strategies for helping students adjust to the college experiences: 1. Students must practice coping skills with the understanding that experiencing anxiety and stress during this time is normal. This is challenging because most students have never been required to make so many life decisions in a such a short time. 2. Students must develop personal resilience during such challenging times. Students will need strength for college, career and overall life success. 3. Students must prioritize physical and mental health which are key to well-being. Take a walk, ride a bike, go out with friends, see a movie–step away from the stress. Not only should parents and others encourage these well-being behaviors, but they should also model them in their own lives. 4. Students should practice self-talk and make a strong commitment to defining their own college experiences. One key to this is not listening to others regarding college majors or advice about attending a specific col-

Jennifer Severini-Kresock

NEPA Career and College Counseling Associates (570) 702-5700 or jkresock@nepacareerandcollegecounseling.com. H