SAN DIEGO — A huge majority of college students are reporting feeling more stressed as they try to begin a new year amid a global pandemic.
At San Diego State a small portion of students are returning to the classroom on Monday.
It’s been a tumultuous school year so far with 1,170 COVID-19 cases related to the university among students and staff. The cases have lead to classroom closures and quarantining of several students.
It may not come as much of a surprise the mental health of students is much worse this year because of the pandemic.
Freshman Hannah O’Campo at SDSU said, “It’s been stressful. I feel like I have to teach myself a lot. Alexis Zepeda added, “It’s been really crazy, online school is really hard. It is difficult because of all of the distractions.”
A recent survey of more than 12,000 students found that 85% of college students are more stressed as a result of the global pandemic compared to the previous year.
The ‘Hi, How Are You Project’ and American Campus Communities released these survey results to help raise awareness about the importance of mental wellness on this World Mental Health Day.
This from one of the largest surveys of its kind, with more than 12,000 responses from freshmen to graduate students at 65 campuses across the U.S.
They say Whether it's remote learning or the fear of the unknowns of the virus, the data confirms that navigating the pandemic has added another layer of stress and anxiety to college life.
COVID-19 is a prevalent part of this school year. All students living on-campus or taking in-person courses are required to get COVID-19 tests at least every 14 days, they must wear face covers, stay six feet from other students and do daily temperature checks before entering the classroom.
Campus also has increased security to make sure students are following the public health orders.
Since August 24, they’ve given out more than 750 notices of alleged violations and some could even face suspension or expulsion.
No parties or get-togethers, no easy way to make new friends.
Freshman Payton Bradley said, “It’s harder because you can’t meet,” adding, “It’s like we wake up and do work until we go to dinner.”
On World Mental Health Day, it’s a good time to remind everyone you don’t have to go through the stress, anxiety, depression or any other mental illnesses alone. It’s important to reach out to friends and family and any mental health professionals.