For nearly all US college students, summer vacation is nearly over. But for many of them, “vacation” is a bit of a misnomer. Plenty of college students have spent the past three months as busy as ever: slaving away at competitive internships, for example, or taking summer classes to “get ahead” academically. For those students without much vacation time to unwind and decompress from their previous academic year, the stress level of the upcoming fall semester might seem daunting.
Yes, I was a full-time college student just two short years ago…and virtually every semester felt daunting. Admittedly, I wore myself out. After a full day of classes, I would rush through my mediocre cafeteria dinner and drag myself over to the campus chapel for a two-hour choir rehearsal. Then, depending on the day of the week, I would dart back and forth between (sometimes overlapping) club meetings. As one of the only photographers for my campus newspaper, I had to make a brief appearance at virtually every campus event to snap a few photos. Did I mention that I produced a two-hour radio show every week? And that I worked on-campus, monitoring the computer labs? And that I also worked off-campus, editing digital photos for a local daily newspaper?
I’ll stop before I start typing my complete resume. Point is, I burnt the candle at both ends. I put too much on my plate. I burnt the midnight oil. Insert any other related metaphors here; they’ll all do a fine job in describing my busy college days and my many late nights.
If you’re a serial overachiever like me, you may be looking for ways to stop the endless cycle of joining new clubs and taking on more responsibility on campus. Once you’re caught up in an overloaded whirlwind of activities, it can be difficult to climb back down to safety. Here are a few tips on how to start:
1. Take an in-depth look at your extracurricular activities. If you’ve got way too many of them, ask yourself some questions: Which activities do you look forward to? Is your brain buzzing with excitement as you’re walking across the quad to your Spanish Club meeting? Or are you dreading the upcoming hour of conjugations and translations? If you don’t love it, don’t do it. If you’re in a club or organization for the sole purpose of adding a line to your resume, take a semester off and see if your stress level drops. This doesn’t make you a quitter; it makes you a level-headed person who understands how to budget time. Also, consider the negative stress level of each activity you’re involved in. Are you drinking coffee at 2 a.m. to get enough energy to finish that newspaper article that’s due the next day? If so, you’ve probably got too much on your plate.
2. Demote yourself. It seemed like a great idea at the time to step up and take on a leadership role in the student senate, but now you’re the VP and you’re feeling buried under a monsoon of meetings and agendas. If you love taking part in the organization and can’t stomach the thought of quitting (or even merely retreating for a semester), step down from your executive role and still retain your membership. If pressed for reasons, let your fellow members know that you’ve spread yourself a bit thin and you need some time to figure out your priorities. Classmates and club advisors will likely empathize with your situation, so don’t feel like you need to hide your reasoning. If you truly can’t step down, begin to learn the many joys of delegating a few tasks to other club members! Mindtools has a great primer on how to delegate effectively.
3. You’re going to get a bad grade sooner or later. Don’t be fooled; there’s no such thing as true perfection in academia. If you’re currently a straight A student, come to terms with the fact that you’ll probably end up with a few B’s by graduation. Those lower grades can come from situations completely beyond your control (like professors who outright refuse to give A’s…my old Media Criticism professor, for example). If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent nearly your entire life defining yourself in terms of your high academic grades. But you’re a fantastic person for a thousand other reasons; figure out those other reasons, write them down, and remember them.
4. Learn how to say “no”. Delivering a polite (yet firm) “no” to a plea for help can be a difficult thing. But if you’ve got a big exam tomorrow and the editor of your college paper calls on you to write a last-minute blurb about the new dining hall on campus, you need to make a choice that won’t push you over the edge. The Mayo Clinic’s website has a useful tip sheet on why, when, and how to say no. Learn how to politely decline those extra tasks.
5. Stop studying when your brain has had enough. Consider the law of diminishing returns: let’s say one hour of studying will give you a B on an exam. Doubling that amount of time will probably yield you a better score (a B+ or A-, let’s say). However, there comes a point when it simply isn’t worth it to increase your time spent studying. Sure, if you spend eight hours studying, you might get a perfect score…but what would you be losing? Sleep? Your sense of sanity? Perhaps both. For me, the difference between a B and an A is usually a panic attack.
6. Don’t force yourself to organize time in ways that feel unnatural to you. Carrying around a planner/organizer can be a lifesaver if you find that writing down all of your classes and meetings keeps you on track and calmly gliding from one activity to the next. It’ll also surely keep you on time. But consider the negative side of “penciling in” all of your activities: it’s easy to become overwhelmed when you see five hours of your campus work-study job, four classes, three club meetings, two hours of study time, one choir rehearsal (and a partridge in a pear tree?) written in print when you wake up in the morning. If you’ve never had a problem keeping track of where you need to be and when you need to be there, ditch the planner for a day or two. See if your days feel a little less hectic and your hours a bit less compartmentalized!
It’s pretty obvious that there’s no quick fix for anxiety and no simple cure for stress. At times, you may be tempted to quit all of your collegiate activities — classes included — because of the overwhelming pressure to achieve. If you find yourself in this type of situation, play with the above suggestions. Even one small change in the way you prioritize and handle your activities can trigger a domino effect of positive outcomes. And while it’s probably true that an energy drink or an 18 oz. coffee will keep you awake late enough to finish writing that paper for your sociology class, nothing in a can or a cup will change the way you perceive and react to a stressful lifestyle.
(13 votes, average: 4.85 out of 5)
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17 Responses to “Are You a Stressed-Out College Overachiever?” (Pingbacks/trackbacks not shown below)
Happyflower at 11:02 pm on
August 28th, 2008
Hi, this has to be one of the best articles I have ever read about being a student overachiever. I am one of those described, a full time mother, and a full time student, I have burned myself out.
I am taking the semester off, and while I did miss the excitement of being there for the first day this week, I almost can feel some relief. I stopped playing the trumpet, I am pretty good, but I don’t really enjoy practicing enough to be performance ready. So….. now I am a bum! haha!
Larry at 9:56 pm on
August 30th, 2008
being stressed out in college? the real world is so much more stressful, enjoy your college years boys and girls, you will look back with fondness of this time.
I can certainly understand the stress of college life being that I am a graduate student. So many people miss how so very stressful and overwhelming college and graduate school can be. Sure, the “real world” is hectic, but keep in mind that half of the “real world” is present on college campuses such as attitudes, emotional distress, depression, mental illness, suicidal thoughts and tendencies; some are struggling with their own children, bills, and other obligations and this increases as one advances in academia.
It does students no justice when the stressors of the academic world, which also depends largely on what one is studying and how seriously they take their career, is undermined.
Maria Pascucci at 9:43 am on
September 1st, 2008
This is a fantastic article! I too was the college overachiever. I graduated with a 3.92 GPA and anxiety-induced health problems. Here is what I’ve learned post-graduation: being perfect in college isn’t the gateway to success and happiness; learning and creating relationships are. Building networks and being excited about something does translate into jobs.
Summer Beretsky at 11:01 am on
September 1st, 2008
Tamra, I think you’ve made a few great points there. Sure, once you’re in the “real world” for a couple of years, the college/grad school experience might distort itself and become rosier in retrospect. But, when you’re a college-aged student and you’re suffering from anxiety related to classes, extracurriculars, finances, and family issues, it could very well be the strongest and most painful level of anxiety you’ve felt in your life thus far. Whether it will increase or decrease as you age is irrelevant; it can still knock a student off his or her feet.
Summer Beretsky, very true and thank you for your comment.
Many underestimate the stressors associated with grad-school/college. This is becoming a sort of epidemic if you will.
Once a student enters their senior year of college and first year of grad-school the “real world” becomes a very distinct part of one’s life. In other words, you are not totally removed from reality so much so that you’ll look back and say “wow, what a wonderful life I had in college/grad-school.” This, however, might be based on the individual.
But more than likely you will be grateful for all the things you’ve learned, for the field of study you chose, and for the day you graduated. 
It’s worth it but it’s also good when it ends.
Now that’s reality!
catherine at 6:32 pm on
September 1st, 2008
Tamra, I’ll agree with that. I had a wee’un right out of high school and started college the same time (with a double-major) I was pregnant *and* worked full-time. I did not do many extra-curriculars but I was constantly involving myself in long drawn-out projects that I didn’t need to.
Now I am in grad school and it’s only getting harder and harder! Once I started grad school I knew I needed to prioratize: make straight-A’s the whole way and be miserable, or take an occasional B and be happier. Let me say, I’m glad I chose the latter, because in some classes making the A really would have been the death of me!
I agree, the latter was the best choice Catherine.
I am known to make all A’s but I am also known to be the type of person who measures myself not according to a “man-made” grading system, but rather the competence and knowledge deep down I know I have. Grading is a cutoff if you know what I mean; it isn’t always the best measure of intelligence. This theory has been very controversal especially when speaking on the topic of standardized tests (i.e., GRE’s, SAT’s ACT’s, etc).
No one is perfect and perfection is only for the supernatural. No human being can say that they’ve done the impossible.
I’m not a philosophical intellect but one thing Aristotle said that I love is “educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” In other words, there are more important things in life besides reaching for the stars.
I’m sure we’re all great acheivers but accepting our human side (that is, occassional flaw) will help us to become better! Grad students like us really need to remember that.
Summer Beretsky at 4:32 pm on
September 2nd, 2008
Catherine, I just finished my final semester of grad school this past spring. I love what you wrote about making straight A’s and being miserable! I believe it’s entirely true. The top student in my cohort went through a terrible mess of anxiety, fueled by sleepless nights, in order to “achieve” high grades. Pyrrhic victory, anyone?
I was fairly miserable myself, too. On the first day of my very first graduate level course, a professor told our class that earning an “A” means you’ve done well, and earning a “B” means you haven’t done well. “C” wasn’t even discussed. What pressure!
Very good article. I know I’ve been there, and learning to sit back instead of taking on everything is a really tough decision to make.
Cynthia at 10:39 am on
September 3rd, 2008
Yeah, you say don’t stress out, but all of those things you list are NECESSARY to get into a good graduate program. You have to be the best of the best to continue. It is idealistic to think that you can get away with being more relaxed. I know because I did exactly those things you list when I was in college, and now I am fighting hard for grad school. I don’t know if I am going to get in and it is BECAUSE I was relaxed about grades and extracurriculars in college. I wasn’t lazy, but I tried not to be the psycho stressed out college student. Now I am paying.
Katie at 3:55 pm on
September 3rd, 2008
I liked your article in that it has some very good tips on prioritisation and boundaries, but I am also mindful that your article is very much geared toward the US college experience. I was on exchange in CA for six months, straddling both third and fourth year. Amazingly, I found the US college experience to be so relaxed that I spent half of my time travelling, and was still able to come back, cram for my exams and walk away with a 4.0 GPA. My roommate was involved in every club imaginable, and therefore very busy, but at least she got to be a part of extracurricular activities!
I am now training as a clinical psychologist at a graduate school in New Zealand. Extracurricular activities are out of the question. I now spend 60 hours a week studying to keep my grades up and 20 hours a week working part time to pay my bills. I need an A to A+ average to get scholarships to afford to study next year. This has been my NZ college experience for the past four years. That’s all I do - and short of quitting college (and my career), there’s not much to cut out.
It would be far more useful if someone wrote an article about how to tolerate, rather than cut out, study/overachieving-induced stress?
Meddock at 9:46 pm on
September 16th, 2008
This is awesome!
Great advice for students, thank you.
I think that every person has a right to choose , for example in college we have a mandatory class called student success, but it sucks because they’re forcing us to keep a dairy or so called time managment skills, but how you can do it? I hate all that stuff since I personally think that life is hectic and chaotic which is good and if you start to plan your everyday life you will become something like a zombie or a robot
Meddock at 9:46 pm on
September 16th, 2008
This is awesome!
Great advice for students, thank you.
I think that every person has a right to choose , for example in college we have a mandatory class called student success, but it sucks because they’re forcing us to keep a dairy or so called time management skills, but how you can do it? I hate all that stuff since I personally think that life is hectic and chaotic which is good and if you start to plan your everyday life you will become something like a zombie or a robot
Be a Part of the Conversation! Comment on this Entry Now:
Hi, this has to be one of the best articles I have ever read about being a student overachiever. I am one of those described, a full time mother, and a full time student, I have burned myself out.
I am taking the semester off, and while I did miss the excitement of being there for the first day this week, I almost can feel some relief. I stopped playing the trumpet, I am pretty good, but I don’t really enjoy practicing enough to be performance ready. So….. now I am a bum! haha!
being stressed out in college? the real world is so much more stressful, enjoy your college years boys and girls, you will look back with fondness of this time.
I can certainly understand the stress of college life being that I am a graduate student. So many people miss how so very stressful and overwhelming college and graduate school can be. Sure, the “real world” is hectic, but keep in mind that half of the “real world” is present on college campuses such as attitudes, emotional distress, depression, mental illness, suicidal thoughts and tendencies; some are struggling with their own children, bills, and other obligations and this increases as one advances in academia.
It does students no justice when the stressors of the academic world, which also depends largely on what one is studying and how seriously they take their career, is undermined.
This is a fantastic article! I too was the college overachiever. I graduated with a 3.92 GPA and anxiety-induced health problems. Here is what I’ve learned post-graduation: being perfect in college isn’t the gateway to success and happiness; learning and creating relationships are. Building networks and being excited about something does translate into jobs.
Tamra, I think you’ve made a few great points there. Sure, once you’re in the “real world” for a couple of years, the college/grad school experience might distort itself and become rosier in retrospect. But, when you’re a college-aged student and you’re suffering from anxiety related to classes, extracurriculars, finances, and family issues, it could very well be the strongest and most painful level of anxiety you’ve felt in your life thus far. Whether it will increase or decrease as you age is irrelevant; it can still knock a student off his or her feet.
Summer Beretsky, very true and thank you for your comment.
Many underestimate the stressors associated with grad-school/college. This is becoming a sort of epidemic if you will.
Once a student enters their senior year of college and first year of grad-school the “real world” becomes a very distinct part of one’s life. In other words, you are not totally removed from reality so much so that you’ll look back and say “wow, what a wonderful life I had in college/grad-school.” This, however, might be based on the individual.
But more than likely you will be grateful for all the things you’ve learned, for the field of study you chose, and for the day you graduated. It’s worth it but it’s also good when it ends.
Now that’s reality!
Tamra, I’ll agree with that. I had a wee’un right out of high school and started college the same time (with a double-major) I was pregnant *and* worked full-time. I did not do many extra-curriculars but I was constantly involving myself in long drawn-out projects that I didn’t need to.
Now I am in grad school and it’s only getting harder and harder! Once I started grad school I knew I needed to prioratize: make straight-A’s the whole way and be miserable, or take an occasional B and be happier. Let me say, I’m glad I chose the latter, because in some classes making the A really would have been the death of me!
I agree, the latter was the best choice Catherine.
I am known to make all A’s but I am also known to be the type of person who measures myself not according to a “man-made” grading system, but rather the competence and knowledge deep down I know I have. Grading is a cutoff if you know what I mean; it isn’t always the best measure of intelligence. This theory has been very controversal especially when speaking on the topic of standardized tests (i.e., GRE’s, SAT’s ACT’s, etc).
No one is perfect and perfection is only for the supernatural. No human being can say that they’ve done the impossible.
I’m not a philosophical intellect but one thing Aristotle said that I love is “educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” In other words, there are more important things in life besides reaching for the stars.
I’m sure we’re all great acheivers but accepting our human side (that is, occassional flaw) will help us to become better! Grad students like us really need to remember that.
Catherine, I just finished my final semester of grad school this past spring. I love what you wrote about making straight A’s and being miserable! I believe it’s entirely true. The top student in my cohort went through a terrible mess of anxiety, fueled by sleepless nights, in order to “achieve” high grades. Pyrrhic victory, anyone?
I was fairly miserable myself, too. On the first day of my very first graduate level course, a professor told our class that earning an “A” means you’ve done well, and earning a “B” means you haven’t done well. “C” wasn’t even discussed. What pressure!
Very good article. I know I’ve been there, and learning to sit back instead of taking on everything is a really tough decision to make.
Yeah, you say don’t stress out, but all of those things you list are NECESSARY to get into a good graduate program. You have to be the best of the best to continue. It is idealistic to think that you can get away with being more relaxed. I know because I did exactly those things you list when I was in college, and now I am fighting hard for grad school. I don’t know if I am going to get in and it is BECAUSE I was relaxed about grades and extracurriculars in college. I wasn’t lazy, but I tried not to be the psycho stressed out college student. Now I am paying.
I liked your article in that it has some very good tips on prioritisation and boundaries, but I am also mindful that your article is very much geared toward the US college experience. I was on exchange in CA for six months, straddling both third and fourth year. Amazingly, I found the US college experience to be so relaxed that I spent half of my time travelling, and was still able to come back, cram for my exams and walk away with a 4.0 GPA. My roommate was involved in every club imaginable, and therefore very busy, but at least she got to be a part of extracurricular activities!
I am now training as a clinical psychologist at a graduate school in New Zealand. Extracurricular activities are out of the question. I now spend 60 hours a week studying to keep my grades up and 20 hours a week working part time to pay my bills. I need an A to A+ average to get scholarships to afford to study next year. This has been my NZ college experience for the past four years. That’s all I do - and short of quitting college (and my career), there’s not much to cut out.
It would be far more useful if someone wrote an article about how to tolerate, rather than cut out, study/overachieving-induced stress?
This is awesome!
Great advice for students, thank you.
I think that every person has a right to choose , for example in college we have a mandatory class called student success, but it sucks because they’re forcing us to keep a dairy or so called time managment skills, but how you can do it? I hate all that stuff since I personally think that life is hectic and chaotic which is good and if you start to plan your everyday life you will become something like a zombie or a robot
This is awesome!
Great advice for students, thank you.
I think that every person has a right to choose , for example in college we have a mandatory class called student success, but it sucks because they’re forcing us to keep a dairy or so called time management skills, but how you can do it? I hate all that stuff since I personally think that life is hectic and chaotic which is good and if you start to plan your everyday life you will become something like a zombie or a robot
