Honors College Art & Science of Emotions Fall 2017 (12:00 p.m.) Sadness Journal | Seite 16

graduation, you have to take this class for a science credit. Oh you don’t have any interest
in this class? Too bad, you don’t have a choice. What extracurricular activities are you
involved in? None? What do you mean you don’t have time? You need to have an extra-
curricular to put down on your college application. You have to go to college, remember?
But don’t take too much time out of studying for the SAT, you need to do well on that to
get into a good college. Have you applied for scholarships yet? Do you know what you
want to major in? Do you know what you want to do as a career for the rest of your natu-
ral life? You don’t? Why not? See, this is why you need job experience…” This frustrat-
ing and abusive cycle is endless. And don’t think college offers any reprieve. Now a fi-
nancial stressor has been added to the mix as students must pay for classes, books, and
housing. Grades are still crucial, and midterm and final exams have doubled in im-
portance. Additionally, during this time of increased stress, a majority of students are also
separated from their families and the friends they have grown up with and have been im-
mersed in a new and unfamiliar environment. The only good news, perhaps, is that the
much cherished nap time, once lost in childhood, has now returned to the fold.
So what might the result be of enduring so many stress factors on a daily basis in
college? According to the American Psychological Association, depression is a trouble
that plagues some 36% of college students, topped only by anxiety at 42%. As students
face the challenges that college provides it can negatively affect their academic perfor-
mance. Many colleges, in recognizing this dilemma, have taken steps to address the issue
by offering students various options to help them deal with their stress and make the col-
lege experience more enjoyable. Oakland University, for example, hosts various student
events organized by the Student Programs Board as well as the Resident Halls Associa-
tion that aim to bring students together to create new friendships in this new environment.
The residence halls also employ multiple Resident Assistants on each floor to help and
16