College is certainly entertaining. When I asked ten students at U of I if they would consider this university “fun,” all ten answered yes immediately. But though college is filled with friends, parties, and laughter, it is also sometimes stressful. Whether this stress is caused by difficult classes, emotional turmoil, or family problems, the stress that affects college students is evident.

Being a student today is stressful. Difficult classes and unfair teachers are no longer the only aspects of college that students are forced to deal with. Although technology like laptops and Gmail are designed to help people keep up with the fast-paced world, they also complicate life in a new way. With the ever-evolving technological devices that fill up our lives, everything becomes fast-paced and hurried.

Not to mention the impending financial crisis that doesn’t help the ever-rising tuition costs of universities around the nation. Or the fact that getting a job after college is increasingly difficult.

Yet all too often, these stressors of students are completely dismissed by adults who believe that college is “easy.” Adults who are looking at college students with a critical eye usually fall into one of two groups.

There is the group that is sure that college is easy, and couldn’t be stressful or overwhelming, or at least couldn’t be as stressful as the “real world.” This group often judges collegians as unaware of the stressors of the real world, and therefore unable to experience true stress.

The second group views colleges as more complex than the college atmosphere they experienced years ago. This group believes college students deal with more today than they did even a decade ago.

My own view is a compilation of these two. While I believe that college is fun and I enjoy it immensely, I also think that many adults are judgmental for thinking that the stressors of college students are not as valid as those of adults. I was frustrated recently when an adult commented to me that I was unaware of the real stressors of the world because I was a college student. As students, yes, we deal with hard classes and overwhelming situations with friends. Yet as people, we deal with deaths of close friends, parents with cancer, or health concerns of our own.

So, I guess life is just stressful for adults and students alike. But, there are great ways to deal with that stress, especially at U of I. At the Union (www.union.uiuc.edu/services/oasis.aspx), there is a relaxation room, nutritionist, and massage therapy, which can be utilized by all students.

I would say that stress is obviously just a part of life, but there are many resources we can utilize in order to deal with it better. By taking advantage of these resources, the stress that everyone faces can be dealt with in a healthy way!