The CSU Bakersfield campus is flooded with individuals who have different lives, experiences, and journeys. One thing that every student has is a common struggle.

Being a student requires that sacrifices and compromises be made every day in order to thrive in a university environment.

One aspect of attending a university that can become burdensome to students is finances: paying for tuition, parking passes, books, supplies, and more. Students at CSUB are working full time in order to pay for their classes as a full-time student and to decrease their risk of debt.

In a 2015 study done by the Institute for College Access and Success, nearly 70% of United States college students take out loans to finance their degrees, and the average debt burden for four-year graduates is $28,950.

According to CSUB student Frank Vargas, the hardest part about being a student is wondering how it’ll be possible to add paying for books on top of paying for tuition.

While various professors on the CSUB campus have resorted to using online free textbooks as the materials for their classes, there are still professors requiring multiple textbooks with the dollar value often being in the hundreds.

Time management also plays a role in the struggle of students. Students try to make the best use of the time they have by attempting to find classes that all fit into a specific schedule. This extends to making sure they are enrolled in the class and not on the waitlist, and that the final schedule developed meets their major’s requirements.

While finances and time management can lead to stress, there are mental battles that can also lead to stress on the body and mind of students.

Students sit in classrooms where group projects are mandatory, talking with a neighbor is part of class time, and speeches and presentations are on almost every syllabus. Having social anxiety in these circumstances can ultimately lead to a potential reduction in one’s overall grade.

Psychologist, Amie R. Schry said in her article, “Measuring Social Anxiety in College Students: A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the SPAI-23,” “Social anxiety among college students may be especially problematic because it is associated with other psychological and interpersonal problems and because it may not be identified unless it is unduly severe or the student is under extreme distress.”

Students have battles both on campus and off, and all of these struggles can play a role in the ultimate success or failure of one’s educational goals and desires.

According to the CSUB Counseling Center website, there are many different services available to students who are experiencing stress and anxiety, such as individual counseling, group counseling, workshops, general studies courses, psychiatry, and crisis intervention.

The Counseling Center is open and available to students during both the fall and spring semesters, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.