69% of Students Highly or Very Highly Stressed by College Admissions

Stressed student photo courtesy of Shutterstock

This is a very stressful time of the year for high school seniors and others who are waiting to hear back from the admissions offices of colleges and universities. Although some top students received “you’ve been accepted” letters months ago from schools with rolling admissions policies, most students are still waiting to hear from most schools. And the wait can be agonizing.

According to The Princeton Review’s 2013 “College Hopes & Worries Survey” – an annual poll of college applicants and parents of applicants – stress levels are high and worries about college costs are higher than ever.  Eighty-nine percent of survey respondents this year say financial aid will be “very” necessary to pay for college and within that cohort 66 percent say “extremely” necessary (a five percent increase over 2012).  Nonetheless, 100 percent of the respondents believe college will be “worth it” and 51 percent see a “potentially better job / higher income” as the main benefit of the diploma. Other findings were:

• 97 percent reported having college application stress with 69 percent gauging their stress levels as “High” or “Very High.”
• 39 percent said their biggest worry is “Level of debt incurred to pay for the degree.” Previously (2010 to 2012), the answer most selected was “Will get into first-choice college, but won’t have sufficient funds/aid to attend.”  In 2009, it was “Won’t get into first-choice college.”
• 87 percent estimated their degree to cost “More than $50,000.”  Within that cohort, 45 percent said “More than $100,000.”
• 51 percent said the main benefit of college was “Potentially better job / income,” 24 percent said “Education,” and 25 said “Exposure to new ideas.”
• 52 percent of parents said the ideal distance from home would be “Less than 250 miles” while 61 percent of students chose answers in ranges from 250 to 1,000 miles.