Signs that a student is experiencing severe difficulties may be overt or hidden. However, an attentive listener who observes and attends to the intentions and feelings being communicated, as well as the words, may recognize even the most subtle signs of distress. While a single isolated behavior may be no cause for alarm, multiple indicators may be cause for concern. Your Role in Assisting Distressed Students Students having problems may often turn to you, the faculty and staff, while at the University. A student may be encountering academic or personal difficulties, or a combination of events affecting these areas of living.
Many students experience extensive changes in their lives while in college.
Students may leave their homes, communities, and even their home cultures to live independently, often for the first time. All students must manage the special challenges of academic life. Undergraduate students must make key career and life decisions while developing the judgment that marks their maturation from adolescents to young adults. Mature returning students often cope with competing demands of family, work, and school. Graduate students may experience stress from all previously mentioned sources.