{"id":104317,"date":"2019-10-09T17:01:29","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T15:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=104317"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:31","slug":"study-related-stress-the-university-could-pay-more-attention-to-this-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/10\/09\/study-related-stress-the-university-could-pay-more-attention-to-this-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Study-related stress: \u2018The university should pay more attention to this issue\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The loan system has made study completion delays very expensive for students. At the same time, simply studying no longer clinches the deal: you need to do an internship, sit on a board and have a part-time job besides. Stand out from the crowd, in other words. \u201cI\u2019m ten a penny,\u201d is how one of the interviewees sums up the biggest concern of students today in Stress to Impress,<\/em> a documentary made by Sanne Kooiman, Tom Kooiman and Alain Paulussen. It was shown last Tuesday at the Pavilion. During the discussion afterwards, audience members said that the recurring themes in the film \u2013 study-related stress, the influence of parents and social media \u2013 were very recognisable. After the screening, EM asked five students whether they feel the pressure to perform.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The discussion after the documentary 'Stress to Impress'<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Sabrina Jammy, Psychology bachelor programme, ESSB<\/h2>
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cI had a burnout when I was 17. As I got near to my finals at secondary school, all I could think about was my performance: I didn\u2019t want my averages to drop below 8 out of 10, my \u2018profile project\u2019 needed to be perfect, I had the starring role in our school musical. In other words, I want to be the best at everything I did. At a certain point, my body simply threw in the towel. I got all the symptoms of a burnout. But I thought I was being a complete weakling and just had to take things up a notch. Last year, I nearly had another burnout, because I had taken on way too much. Since then, I\u2019ve tried to take a more conscious approach to my work and studies. And I\u2019ve been planning in time to relax.<\/p>\n

\u201cI rounded off my Communication degree programme and started on my second bachelor\u2019s in Psychology. I also have two businesses on the side, but I still feel a bit crummy \u2013 because I\u2019m not doing a master\u2019s instead, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeer pressure is definitely a problem, and it has only gotten worse. You used to only feel pressure from your friends, but now the whole world has become your peer thanks to Instagram and Facebook. Because I\u2019m sensitive to this kind of thing, I consciously limit my time online. I recently did a three-month social media detox, for instance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the university could pay more attention to the pressure to perform among students. They could hire more student psychologists, for example. If you\u2019re in the early stages of a burnout, you shouldn\u2019t have to be on a waiting list for six weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niek van Disseldorp, Economics and Fiscal Economics bachelor programme, ESE<\/h2>
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cI don\u2019t feel any kind of performance pressure. In fact, I couldn\u2019t even tell you why I\u2019m not stressed out. I\u2019m forging my own path, and if that means my programme will take a bit longer, so be it. Nor am I particularly interested in the whole debate about student debt and the loan system: I\u2019ve racked up at least 40,000 euros in debt, but I\u2019m confident things will work out. Maybe I\u2019ll have to work harder after graduating, but I\u2019ll cross that bridge when I come to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really have tips for other people. I simply try to do whatever I enjoy doing. I\u2019ve accepted a lot of responsibilities \u2013 I\u2019m currently chairing the Extraordinary Life \u2013 because I enjoy the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Varsha Doelam, Medicine alumna, Erasmus MC<\/h2>
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cI definitely feel the performance pressure. I attended a predominantly ethnic school in a disadvantaged neighbourhood. It wasn\u2019t difficult to become the number one pupil there. I had to work harder when I was in high school. But what made it really bad was: while I had a good exit score in primary school, my teacher didn\u2019t think university preparatory education suited my future, because I wouldn\u2019t be able to take care of my husband and children. And that\u2019s where the real problem started: society filling in my role and ambitions as a woman of colour for me. I have to deal with prejudices and stereotypes. I\u2019m a certified physician, but at work, many people assume I\u2019m a member of the care staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d expect this to put less pressure on me, because people don\u2019t have any expectations. But it works the other way round, actually: the less they think of me, the more pressure I feel. After all, you have to work three times as hard to prove you\u2019re up to the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isis Vogelaar, Entrepreneurship master programme, RSM<\/h2>
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cOf course I feel a pressure to perform. When you look around, there\u2019s always someone who\u2019s doing even better than you, or with a more interesting side job. I think it\u2019s all due to our uncertainty about the future: of course, you hope to get a good job and build a nice life for yourself. And there\u2019s the feeling that if you want a particular job, you\u2019ll need to work harder.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncidentally, I don\u2019t think that we should just expect the university and the government to solve this problem, because it\u2019s broader than that. I think that as a society, we need to adopt a new mind-set, in which the job market doesn\u2019t just offer opportunities to the very best performers but to other people too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Affan Ibne Sharif, Economics bachelor programme, ESE<\/h2>
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cI\u2019m from Bangladesh and have only been here for the past one-and-a-half months. As an international student, you live in two worlds: you need to satisfy the Dutch standard and deal with people\u2019s expectations back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the pressure comes from people back home. My parents are paying 20,000 euros per year for my studies, so I\u2019m not allowed to fail. I can\u2019t just quit, because then people will ask: why did you choose that study in the first place? I constantly need to prove that I\u2019m worth the money \u2013 not just to my parents, but to the entire family and our community. I need to excel, follow an honours programme and \u2013 if this is an option \u2013 graduate with honours.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd our family dream plays a role in this as well. My mother is a housewife, but she studied Economics too. It was a big wish of hers that I would follow in her footsteps. She\u2019s counting on me to make her dream a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t