Students report that stress is weighing them down

The high volume of midterms taking place in the weeks before spring break causes what students describe as an uptick in stress, as they are forced to balance their time between academics and extracurriculars. The University and student groups, such as Stressbusters, offer a variety of services designed to combat stress.

Today, mental illness among stressed, college-aged students nationwide is at an all-time high. The annual American Freshman survey, conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, found that 37 percent of college freshmen report feeling frequently overwhelmed last year, the highest percentage since the survey was first administered in 1985.

Although stress and anxiety are ubiquitous in most top-tier colleges, Hopkins has been identified as an outlier even within that stratum. In 2012, the University was even ranked among Newsweek’s “Top 10 Most Stressful Colleges in the U.S.”

“When talking with people from other schools, I definitely get a sense that Hopkins is more stressful than many other schools,” sophomore Joon Pil Youn said.

Junior Abby Delamater concurred that the academic rigor of Hopkins seemed higher than average.

“I’ve pulled more all-nighters during Hopkins than in my whole life,” Delamater said. “In one of my finals last year, this girl started sobbing in the middle of her exam and hardly any of the students even looked up because they were so busy writing their own answers. I feel like there’s kind of an intense competitive environment because so many classes are graded comparatively.”

Youn expressed concern that, as a result of the academic pressure at Hopkins, he may be missing out on other aspects of the college experience.

“I don’t feel like I have the time to participate in extracurriculars this year, and when I did, during freshman year, I felt guilty, as though I should be spending that time studying,” Youn said.

Many agreed that they found it very difficult to balance their academic workload with additional responsibilities.

“I’m stressed to the point where I now have to pick and choose which extracurriculars I can really devote the majority of my efforts towards,” sophomore Warner Mason said. “In Hopkins, I’m currently involved in [A Place to Talk (APTT)] and club volleyball, but ideally I would definitely like to do more.”

According to students, extracurricular activities not only round out résumés, but they also provide students with the opportunity to channel their non-academic interests and to branch out and interact with a wider group of people. Some students, however, report that the stress of schoolwork has caused their enthusiasm for extracurricular activities to wane.

“The stress of Hopkins has me woefully indifferent towards Hopkins affairs that are out of my circle of friends,” Mason said.

Song Eun Jung, a masters student at the Peabody Institute, also discussed the isolating effect that academic pressure could create.

“Each year, as I go up a grade and academic demands increase, the less and less I have time for or can bring myself to care about making new friends or getting involved in a bunch of school events and activities,” Jung said. “I end up just seeing the same few people all the time, which, in some ways, is a shame, because I know I’m not taking advantage of all the different opportunities at this school.”

She elaborated on the negative consequences that she thought isolation could generate and encouraged students to interact more with their peers.

“I feel like people get more stressed because they think they’re the only ones thinking the way they do,” Jung said. “On social media, everyone’s perfect. But once you get to know someone past superficial niceties, you realize that it really isn’t just you.”

Some students felt that non-academic activities helped to improve their mental well-being.

Junior Stephan Capriles, who is involved in the Hopkins Model United Nations Conference, Witness Theatre, JHU Barnstormers, Blue Key and the Hopkins Model United Nations Team, said his extracurriculars provide him with a respite from studying.

“Overall, I think the biggest issue is managing stress,” Capriles said. “I’m not too stressed to be part of extracurriculars. I think they help keep me sane, actually. They break up the studying and allow me to socialize with different groups of people.”

Junior Sally Kim agreed that a balance between extracurricular activities and academics has indirectly improved her performance in her classes.

“I play squash every week, and even though it’s technically time I could be studying, I think breaking up studying with activities I’m interested in helps regulate my schedule, and it forces me to stay on task during the times I’m actually studying,” Kim said.

Barbara Schubert, the associate director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Education and Wellness (CHEW), agreed that students at Hopkins are under a lot of stress.

“The students are put under a lot of pressure, and there’s so many things like academics, social factors, the competitive environment, that all feed into student stress levels,” Schubert said, “Although there’s nothing any of us can do to completely avoid stress — as it is sadly an inevitable part of everyday life — I think it’s so important for people to change the way they deal with it. You have to realize that you have the power to increase or decrease your stress levels and to put your stress in perspective.”

She elaborated on the importance of developing healthy coping mechanisms.

“When under stress, people can turn to unhealthy ways of trying to ‘cope’ with it, like unhealthy eating habits, alcohol and drugs,” Schubert said. “But in the long run, this is extremely detrimental, and certainly won’t work as a solution to stress. It’s important for students to find healthy outlets.”

She suggested that exercise and other physical solutions could limit stress.

“Stress is not just a mental thing — there are also physical manifestations, and so addressing this can also help minimize stress. Exercise and yoga are great activities you can do at the rec center. CHEW also offers a Stressbusters program, in which students that are trained by licensed massage therapists give back rubs. We participate in campus events, and also have our own weekly sessions — Mellow-out Monday and Wind-down Wednesday... there is actually research that has been done about the de-stressing effects of the human touch.”

Renee DeMott, a senior academic advisor, outlined more resources that students could turn to in times of stress.

“There are a great variety of resources available within Hopkins to help students,” DeMott said. “For those who are struggling with academics, the Hopkins Study Consulting Program can help, as well as the Learning Den... A Place to Talk is a great and safe place to vent about things that are stressing you out. The Office of Multicultural Affairs also not only helps those from different cultural backgrounds, but is also involved in a lot of programming and small group activities that are a great non-academic outlet for students.”

Alice Nam, a junior member of APTT, urged stressed students to talk with the peer counselors.

“I really recommend stressed students to come to A Place to Talk,” Nam said. “It’s peer-led, so it’s not like you’re talking to some official counselor, but all the members have gone through extensive training where we train to not just offer advice, but to really listen to your problems — whatever they may be — and to help examine your feelings to come up with your own solution. And, of course, everything said is completely confidential.”

APTT is open Sunday through Thursday from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. and is located in the lobbies of AMR I and Wolman.

For those who feel overly stressed and are seeking more urgent help, the Hopkins Student Assistance Program can help students assess the severity of their depression or anxiety. The Counseling Center is also open from Monday through Friday and can be reached at 410-516-8278.