Anxiety- A Shared College Experience

 Jillian Olear

Prof. John Horgan 

HST 401A Seminar in Science Writing- Paper #3

23 February 2026

I pledge my honor that I have abided by the Stevens Honor System.

Anxiety- A Shared College Experience

It took me a really long time to start this paper. The other two assignments came easy to me and I knew what direction I wanted to take immediately. With this one though, I didn’t even know where to start, which was stressing me out, so I admittedly put it off. Then I realized on top of it, I had to juggle other lab reports and homework assignments, keep up with grading for my course assistantship, work on my research project, and finish various applications for internships and stuff. It felt like I was drowning and couldn’t catch my breath. A feeling that a ton of other college students know all too well.

Everyone talks about how college will be the best years of a person’s life. While that’s true in many cases, it’s neglected that they could also be some of the most anxiety-inducing years in a person’s life, caused by a number of things. There’s so much change happening in such a short period of time and a lot to account for at all times. In a brief review done on the academic stress, anxiety, and depression that college students experience, several factors were noted that play into these emotions (Kumaraswamy). For one, college is a drastic change from high school. It’s often the first time a student is away from home for an extended period of time and they have to manage everything on their own. Then there’s the stress caused by the education itself and desire to perform well academically. Combine these factors with trying to maintain a social life- it was overwhelming for me to read this, let alone actually be living it at the same time. The article then goes on to list the emotional and physiological effects that stem from these fears, some of which include not only general stress and anxiety, but also lack of self confidence and esteem, difficulties with substances, relationship issues with friends and family- or worse. 

It’s not talked about often, but anxiety in college students is more prevalent than one would expect. The extent to which it is experienced as well is also rapidly increasing as time goes on. In a study conducted by the AmericanCollege Health Association in 2018, it was found that out of 88,000 surveyed, more than half of them (specifically 63.40%) experienced “...overwhelming anxiety at some point in their last twelve months” (ScienceDirect). In the same study done in 2022, it was shown that approximately 34.60% were diagnosed with some form of anxiety. 35.10% reported that their anxiety was hindering their academic performance. This suggests that over a third of college students are experiencing this issue. Maybe I’m not as alone in it as I thought I was. 

However, contrary to what one may believe, there is good news in that these percentages are slowly working their way down to lower numbers. Colleges are slowly beginning to see these issues and doing what they can to mitigate them. In an article from Frontiers Public Health, it was stated that, “...many universities have recognized the importance of addressing mental health issues and have implemented a range of innovative programs aimed at supporting students’ well being,” which are showing a “...broader understanding of mental health as an integral aspect of student success, not only for academic achievement but also for personal growth and resilience” (Li). This proves that many schools are starting to see the issues students face and are doing what they can to help. There’s been several forms of improvement, such as integrating mental health education into their curriculum and implementing mentorship programs so students can get advice and support from their peers. Digital platforms have also proven to be effective resources for college students, allowing for accessible and flexible options that they can utilize based on their preferences and convenience. 

There may be solutions, but it doesn’t take away from the struggles college students experience from anxiety. It may fluctuate, but it’s still prominent. So now that this paper is done, I’ll try to take a minute to relax, but then go right back to tackling everything else that’s causing me anxiety. The only difference now is that I feel less alone in it, which makes it easier to catch my breath. I guess it’s a good thing this is what I chose to write the paper on. 

Works Cited

Https://Www.Sciencedirect.Com/Science/Article/Pii/S2211379718320771?Via=ihub | Request 

PDF, www.researchgate.net/publication/328544309_httpswwwsciencedirectcomsciencearticlepiiS2211379718320771via3Dihub. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026. 

Kumaraswamy, Narasappa. "Academic stress, anxiety and depression among college students: A 

brief review." International review of social sciences and humanities 5.1 (2013): 135-143.

Li, Qiang, et al. “Addressing Mental Health in University Students: A Call for Action.” 

Frontiers, Frontiers, 22 Feb. 2026, www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1614999/full.