Support System

Having a good support system is extremely important for young women, especially when it comes to dealing with stress. I know from first hand experience that whenever I am trying to cope with stress, nothing makes me feel better more than relaxing with my best friends or being with my family. It is very important to feel like one has a safe venting outlet when they are overwhelmed. This is particularly important for women in their first year of college, because they are adapting to such a new environment. Knowing that one has a supportive group of people they can rely on during tough times can help detract from more dangerous ways of coping with stress such as drugs, drinking, ect.

Media influence

As a woman, anywhere you go you are constantly being judged on the way that you look. Also, everywhere you look whether it's a magazine, an ad in a store, or even watching television in your own home, you'll see the way the media depicts women. However, these images may not always be accurate. The media always shows women that are as close as perfect gets. I'm talking perfect hair, perfect eyes, a perfect nose, perfect skin, perfect bone structure, ect. These images may be appealing to the eye, but they are not always accurate of what women actually look like. Photos and television images are constantly being altered and edited to look a certain way to fool viewers. Although advertisers and magazines are not trying to necessarily hurt anyone, when young women see these images, it is poisoning to their minds, because they think this is the way they need to look.

On the left side of the photo is the edited version of that women with make up and hair products, on the right side is her natural beauty

Low self-esteem

Not only does poor judgement of alcohol consumption cause women to be put in dangerous situations, but low self-esteem is also a gateway to a compromising position. It is said that when a man senses that a woman has a low self-esteem that he is more likely to take advantage of her because he feels he is superior..which could put her at more risk for sexual assault.

The more confident she is...the less superior he feels

How easy it is to be victim

You're at a party with a bunch of your friends having a good time.You have your back turned for one second, and your unattended drink sits on the table. The man who has been eying your drink the entire night slips the date rape drug into your glass just before you turn around. By the time you find out that you have been given the drug, it is too late.

More consequences...

Besides the obvious dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol, college women need to be aware that when they are heavily drinking at a party, they could be potential victims of rape. Sexual crimes among college campuses are becoming a growing issue. Binge drinking is a huge factor of this, because it clouds peoples judgement and causes them to do things that they would not normally do. The act of getting drunk could easily be the key factor of whether someone commits a sexual crime or not. It is important that women are aware of these risks.

Stressing out

Different Priorities?

Being a senior in high school, I have a lot of friends that are freshmen in college. With that being said, I have the opportunity to see the differences in how male college students and female college students prioritize their lives. For example, my male friends in college spend more time playing video games, playing sports, going to concerts, parties, and other social gatherings. As opposed to my female friends in their first year of college spend more time balancing two jobs on top of going to classes and paying their own way-trying to be more independent. I am not saying this is the case all the time, but there is a significant difference in lifestyles being displayed.

Dangerous ways of coping

In survey’s women are found to have a much higher level of stress than young men do. How do they cope with this underlying stress? Well, studies show that alcohol and drug use is a way that a lot of college students relieve their mental stress- especially women. Being generally more petit on a physical standpoint, women are at a much higher risk because they will not break down the alcohol as quickly. This can cause women to be more dependent on alcohol quicker. This also may open a door to other drugs that can be more harmful.

Does this look like a healthy way to cope with underlying stress?

Social Expectations

As a young woman, growing up in this society has a multitude of expectations, especially on physical appearance. If there was not this constant need of looking a certain way, maybe women would not be so obsessed with the way they look all of the time. Magazines, television shows, movies, and all different types of advertising convince women they need to look a certain way in order to be socially accepted. This is a huge factor of stress of young women.

Why are college women more prone to stress than males?

• Social expectations of women (how to look, dress, weigh, ect.)
• More insecure about physical/ emotional health
• More worried about how to pay for college
• Males are more concerned about partying and having a good time
• Women and men have very different priorities 

Causes of Stress for College Freshmen?

So you've arrived on campus - your room is unpacked, you've met your roommate, and the parents have driven away.

What now?