Entering into a college environment, students are exposed to the
combination of new academic and social atmospheres, which could
present new risks to mental and physical health.
These risks may include stress, poor time management, sleep
deprivation and excessive alcohol consumption. Students can
decrease their vulnerability to these risks by managing all aspects
of health, including diet, exercise, sleep and hygiene, said
Elizabeth Gong-Guy, the interim director of UCLA Student
Psychological Services.
Gong-Guy added that since college is a time for students to
develop their identities, if one has poor health, it could slow
down one’s personal growth.
“It is really important for students to understand that
taking basic care of their bodies matters in building their mental
and emotional resiliency,” Gong-Guy said.
One aspect of the health concerns that come with a new college
environment includes stress, said Jennifer Stripe, health education
manager at the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness
Center.
“It is important for incoming students to learn how to
manage the stress and pressure that comes from being in this
environment. Many incoming students are not necessarily prepared
for the level of competition,” Stripe said.
On average, incoming students experience a drop in their GPA,
which is a real source of disappointment and stress, Stripe
said.
“Students should be mindful of taking care of their health
and well-being under all this pressure. They may have been the big
fish in a small pond, but now they have to work hard to maintain
the academic standing that they’re used to,” she
said.
According to a 2002 Ashe Center survey on student attitudes and
behaviors, stress and poor mental health affect a large proportion
of the UCLA population.
The lead author of the report, Pam Viele, said overall stress is
not only highly correlated with poor mental health, but with other
health concerns as well.
“Poor mental health is also often interrelated with other
risk behaviors, such as alcohol or drug use, so it is important to
consider and address students’ health concerns
holistically,” Viele said.
Tiffany Li, a strength and conditioning coordinator at the UCLA
Recreation Center, said exercise, whether it is in the gym or
renting bikes to ride on the beach on the weekends, helps both
mental and physical health.
“For Americans, in general, it is recommended to
accumulate about 15 minutes of cardiovascular activity each
day,” Li said.
But some students believe that walking to class is a sufficient
amount of exercise.
“When I lived in Hedrick, I used to think that walking up
the hill was a workout, but it’s not enough,” said
Bridie Leurs-Beeson, a third-year sociology student.
Li said that though walking could be a cardiovascular workout,
depending on the person, the body will soon get accustomed to the
activity if the person does it everyday.
Dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major
chronic diseases later in life as well.
“It is important for students to educate themselves so
they can make informed decisions on their health. These decisions
will lead to lifelong habits that will shape their health in their
later adult years,” Li said.
While sufficient exercise and a balanced diet can increase
energy levels, sleep is also interrelated and a significant part of
improving mental and physical health.
Gong-Guy added that emotional resilience is important for
managing stress, which could actually be beneficial to one’s
development. Just as exercise develops physical fitness, stress,
such as that found in a competitive college atmosphere, can work to
promote mental growth.
“We have gotten ourselves into thinking that stress is
bad, but in fact, stress brought about by challenges is what keeps
people engaged and encourages growth,” Gong-Guy said.
Though academics are important, Gong-Guy said friendships and
relationships can also affect a student’s health as well.
“An important part of college life is developing greater
self-knowledge, and included in that is developing friendships and
relationships; it’s not all about academics. Yes, academics
is a key task, but studying all the time is not a realistic
expectation and it’s not healthy.”
The combination of these different and interrelated aspects
could help in the development of a student’s identity during
college as well, Gong-Guy said.