Last Saturday evening, Betty Huang '14 was hard at work studying in her dorm room until past 2 a.m. She said she stays up until 5 a.m. at least once a week in order to complete a computer science problem set or other requisite course work.
The emotional health of freshmen reached its lowest level since the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles first conducted its annual first-year student survey in 1985, according to a recent study, "The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2010." Many of the findings from the study released on Jan. 27 after surveying over 200,000 full-time freshmen at four-year colleges can apply to members of the Class of 2014 at the College, according to students, faculty and staff members interviewed by The Dartmouth.
Assistant Dean of First-Year Students John Pfister, a psychological and brain sciences professor who has taught at the College for almost 20 years, said he has gradually seen an increasing number of first-year students express concern regarding their academic careers and futures.
"If you look at first-year students 10 years ago versus now, I do think we're encountering people who are more stressed," Pfister said. "We're also seeing more students much earlier talk about the big ticket items in terms of planning."
It is not uncommon for students in their first year or even in their first term to express concern about how to plan a double or triple major, according to Pfister.
Pfister said he attributes this increased anxiety about the future to a rise in competition among students.
Over three-quarters of the freshmen who participated in the national survey rated their own academic ability "above average," according to the survey. While students' emotional health is declining, their own drive to succeed is at a record high, The New York Times reported.
"When we bring people to Dartmouth, we bring really high-achievers here," Pfister said. "When high-achievers get together, they continue to hope to achieve higher levels, so the conversations I have with first-year students about double majors or doing three [Language Study Abroad programs] are a consequence of inviting some high-end, high-achieving students here."
Deans and undergraduate advisors have referred an increasing number of students to Counseling and Human Development Services at Dick's House, which has been "getting more use than it's ever gotten," Pfister said.
Reyad Allie '11 said that as a UGA, he has advised his floor about available campus resources, including Dick's House and the Academic Skills Center. He also said basic ways to solve academic stress including joining a study group, consulting a friend or talking with a professor are also helpful.
Allie, who advises a first-year floor in Andres Hall, said that many of his floormates have approached him to discuss how their grades compare with those of peers. Adjusting to the "college environment" and the College's 10-week term schedule is one of the main sources of stress for first-year students, Allie said.
The national survey found that first-year students, amid uncertain economic times, are increasingly worried about how they will finance their education.
Students at Dartmouth also seem more concerned about finding ways to save money, Pfister said.
"I think some of the questions students have about how to be able to negotiate financial aid or how to be able to finish two terms early sometimes even a whole year early are clearly economically guided," Pfister said. "There are hopefully answers to problems like I don't want to cost my parents a lot of money.'"
First-year students at the College are also experiencing rising anxiety about their economic situation upon graduation, according to Allie.
"Freshmen are asking, Where am I going to be in four years?' and Am I going to be able to find a job?'" Allie said. "And that's stressing them out because they think that they have to plan their entire four years here with a goal in mind, and if their planning is incomplete, they might not reach their goal."
Managing stress ultimately falls on the responsibility of the individual, according to Pfister.
"I try to make sure they evaluate their stress in a proper way," Pfister said. "What causes your stress? Why are you stressed? There's a bit of self-examination about the nature of stress. Those small incremental steps that people can make that actually define how they can manage their time can be really helpful."
At its all-time low, 52 percent of freshman students said their emotional health was above average, according to the national survey.
This number has decreased from 64 percent since the study was first conducted in 1985, The New York Times reported.
Directors for counseling and human development at Dick's House did not respond to requests for comment by press time.