Building Academic Confidence and Resilience

As you begin your college life, you have more responsibilities and tasks to handle. College
students are exposed to many kinds of stressors during their study. Feeling stress or
anxiety is a part of everyday life for anybody. Some levels of stress could be good for us but
some other with a higher degree of intensity and take a long time would be harmful to our
personal life as well as our health. Stress and anxiety are two top mental concern for
college students.

1. Managing stress

College students are mostly feeling stress when they have so many responsibilities
including deadlines and assignments, lack of effective time management, bad sleeping
habits, and lack of self-care.

● Identify your stress

1) Time stress; so many things to do but feel that time is never enough
2) Anticipatory stress; too much thinking about upcoming events
3) Situational stress; problems with sudden and overwhelming events
4) Encounter stress; meeting with new people, too many people or high authority
● What causes you stress
1) Living away from home/living with new people
2) Academic demand and test anxiety
3) Finance
4) Thesis (skripsi)
5) Family / relationship
● Strategies to manage stress
1) Sleep properly
Sleep is usually the first to compromise. However, aim to sleep for 7 hours each day.
Less sleep can make you tired.
2) Take a break
Give yourself a break for a moment and take a breathe.
3) Monitor state of mind
Do some self-reflection. Listen to your state of mind and question your way of thinking.
4) Manage your time
Be organized and set priorities
5) Take care of your body
Go get some exercises and monitor your eating habits and diet
6) Relax
Treat yourself and celebrate success ones in a while
2. Dealing with anxiety
Similar to stress, feeling anxious is quite natural especially if you are starting something
new like starting university life. When entering university, you would find so many first
things like new friends, professors, cultures, places, responsibilities, demands, and
lifestyles. If you are not prepared, you could quickly become susceptible to depression and
stress.
● Common anxieties for college students
Anxieties on study and learning Anxieties on personal commitment

1) Keeping up with other people 1) Making friends

2) Finding the time to do everything 2) Organizing workload
3) Understanding academic demands 3) Other people’s way of treating you
4) Developing confidence to speak 4) Family responsibilities
5) Getting used to college life 5) Maintaining grades and study time
6) Meeting deadlines

● Managing anxieties
Do’s Don'ts

1. Focus on planning your own 1. Worrying how well other students

activities are doing
2. Find support 2. Avoiding people
3. Set priorities 3. Procrastinating
4. Writing reflection 4. Denying your feelings

● Dealing with test anxiety

1) Find our basic information about the test; how many test, when and what are the test, how
you will be tested
2) Get the feel of the test; talk to your seniors and ask them about how the tests usually be
done
3) Practice; discuss with your friends or find old exam paper from your seniors
4) Check any test details you have
5) Prepare the utensils and exam identity cards
6) Avoid people who panic
7) Work daily on relaxation
8) Eat well
9) Plan to arrive 30 minutes before the time