As the college admissions process begins for high school seniors, college freshmen are getting back on their feet after their first real taste of college stress: mid-terms.

Loyola freshmen spearhead what the American Academy of Pediatrics calls the “most anxious, stressed, sleep-deprived generation ever.”

Alicia A. Bourque, PhD., interim director of Counseling and Career Service Center, said that after high school, college freshmen may be at a greater stress risk than other college students. A recent AAP study of college-bound high school students echoes this sentiment.

“The current trend of pressuring adolescents so intensely may undermine their natural resilience,” the study said.

Despite the strength of previous generations of teenagers through the toughest points of their adolescence, students ages 7 to 17 are now expected to over achieve at an extremely rapid rate, according to the study.

Once those teens get to college, they enter a whole new world of stress.

A study conducted in 2002 by the University of California, Los Angeles reported that 30.2 percent of freshman nationwide are stressed out.

Bourque attributes freshman stress to the changes a college lifestyle brings.

“The emotional adjustment to the first time living away from home, communication difficulties with roommates, learning to study in a different way from high school and taking responsibility for academic or health-related actions,” she said.

For one music business freshman, who chose to remain anonymous, maintaining a certain grade point average to keep his scholarship is a prime stress factor. “I get depressed, and get a lot of anxiety,” he said.

According to Bourque, “competitive grading, exams and financial strains are all factors that contribute to student stress.” Many students find themselves “with too much work and too little time,” she said.

“Keeping up a 3.5 or better is really tough,” said business freshman Kiva Keiser. “For the first time there is nobody making me do my work, so there’s a lot of self discipline to learn,” she said.

Outside the classroom is no breeze, either. Keiser said another stress factor she faces in college is managing social relationships.

“It’s a different world,” she said. “I don’t have that high-school support group to fall back on anymore.”

Personal relationships at school can also cause stress for freshmen students.

“With freshmen entering their first serious relationships, stress seems to be more emotional and less school-related,” said Biever resident assistant and psychology sophomore Carter Houndas. “It’s really easy to get caught up in love-triangles and awkward dating situations, and once school stress is added on top, things get even more difficult.”

Some freshmen decide to avoid relationships all together. For the music business freshman, “taking a break from relationships for more serious issues is a high priority,” he said. “There are less people who you’re able to have an intimate connection with.”

Without the reliability of core groups of friends and relationships in high school, some freshmen say they turn to other vices to alleviate first-year stress. Alcohol is a stress management solution that is especially available in New Orleans.

“Drinking is definitely the solution for lots of freshmen,” Houndas said. “Students say they’re ‘going out for a drink’ when they need to relax, so it’s definitely an easy outlet, especially in an alcohol-friendly city.”

The way students use alcohol may also contribute to freshmen stress. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by teens is through binge drinking. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as drinking four or more drinks for men or three or more drinks for women within two hours.

Bourque said that alcohol abuse, as well as high-blood pressure and depression, could be a “long-term consequence” of freshmen stress. “First-time freshmen are learning to take responsibility for their actions, including making appropriate decisions about alcohol and drug use,” Bourque said.

But not all freshmen find themselves drinking after all-night study sessions or mid-terms. “Drinking just seems to create even more stress,” the music industry freshman said. “But I definitely smoke more cigarettes than before.”

According to an article in the Nicotine and Tobacco Research journal, anxiety caused by the move from high school to the freshman year of college can increase the amount a student smokes.

Freshmen are also dealing with stresses unique to living in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, according to Bourque. The circumstances surrounding the devastation caused by Katrina leave many students without public transportation and with “the added pressure of dealing with the environmental consequences of Katrina,” Bourque said.

Although the causes of stress are often intangible, the results of that stress are very physical.

Many short-term consequences of school-related stress can include “teeth grinding, fatigue, forgetfulness, rapid heart beat, headaches, stomachaches, irritability, procrastination and decreased concentration, to name a few,” Bourque said.

For non-drinkers like Keiser, there are dozens of other options to take her mind off stress. “Despite my friends who are always going out drinking, I find that living in the dorms is like living at home, so it’s nice to have that closeness,” she said. “And kick-boxing and running also help.”

“Exercise definitely helps,” Houndas said. “There are plenty of healthy ways to manage a lot of that stress.”

Bourque advocates taking time off, time management, exercise, social support and counseling. Despite The American College Health Association’s reported 92 percent of college students who feel stressed out, the latest National Survey of Counseling Center Directors indicated that only 9 percent sought counseling.

Students seeking counseling for stress can contact the Counseling and Career Service Center located on the second floor of the Danna Center.

Although college may seem overwhelming for many students, business freshman Jamie Teco said she was able to find “the balance between work and fun” despite the stressors of college living.

“I think it is key to have a social life – get out on the weekends and forget about school for a little while. You just need to put yourself out there.”

Alex Woodward can be reached at [email protected].