Adults play a pivotal role in the lives of college students. From sending them off and moving them in to occasionally sending them money or taking care of finances to help them out, there’s always a need for adults in the trying times a college student goes through.
Life hits hard as a college student. With so many responsibilities including, but not limited to, schoolwork, organizational commitments, and possibly a job, it can be a mentally draining process. Apart from the monetary support, mental stability is probably the biggest factor to be affected in all of this. Over-exhausting oneself with a bunch of school work and responsibilities can lead to depression.
It did for me.
In fact, I went into a stage of depression for weeks after stressing about getting assignments done in a timely manner with the utmost efficiency. I was doing great, but the constant hustle and bustle was getting to me. I took breaks here and there but it wasn’t working, because I wasn’t actually escaping the depression. It was still there. And I was still in its presence. I needed to get out. So I did.
I left the minuscule, linen closet sized dorm room I stayed in and walked around campus. I joined different organizations. And immediately, I felt relief.
When deadlines are approaching and an uneasy feeling of unpreparedness or self doubt wash over a college student, it’s the anxiety kicking in. Depression and anxiety, along with the fear of failure, are constantly attacking college students. In these moments, adults can step in and steer students on the verge of giving up in the right direction.
Asking for help can be difficult but there are resources available, and on most campuses they’re free with tuition. Counseling services, tutoring services, career coaching, etc. are just a few examples of how students can get assistance from trusted adults on their college campuses. I’ve utilized tutoring services several times when struggling in a math class. (Luckily, from that day on I didn’t have to take any more math classes.) I’ve also utilized counseling services to get some things off my chest that were bothering me and becoming a hindrance to my school work and responsibilities. My head felt like it was going to explode with the amount of things I kept bottled up in it; a counselor on campus helped me navigate my emotions. Much of it was anxiety coursing through my veins. But overtime with her assistance and support, I was able to control it to some degree.
Therapy is a very helpful tool that I believe everyone can use, even therapists themselves. It’s a great way to talk to someone about how you’re feeling. They’re not biased because they’re a stranger, until you get to know them. But even then, they’re just getting to know you so they remain a stranger throughout the process. Sometimes a second opinion is needed, or maybe not needed but valued. I talk to multiple people about how I’m feeling including a psychologist.
Some students just need a little more assistance than others. Overall, adults can be the benefactor of why college students succeed because they’re able to assist in areas that they can’t help themselves in.
written by Regan Murray
BTB University Student
April 2025