If the financial pressure and the performance pressure get the upper hand...

At the university, the first thing you are taught is that studying is the main job and that everything else is important. But what if I move to another place to study and I only have to pay for living expenses if I work on the side? Then the study can quickly seem secondary. In addition, there is the Ukraine war, which is a trigger for global inflation. This in turn leads to stress and financial bottlenecks. Where the study, which should be fun, becomes a financial and psychological dilemma...

Shall we start over? Why are you studying or doing this or that training? Probably because you want to do your dream job someday. Many study because they don't know what else to do. Generation X alumni talk about the best time of their lives when they are studying. Weekly parties, sloppy lectures and freely dividable time, seemingly without negative effects on performance, graduation and career prospects, were commonplace in student life at the time.

Performance pressure and the expectations of others

That has changed in the meantime. Nowadays, these things can hardly be realized. Before everything when in today's society extremely much is demanded of you. It’s not just terms like “High Performer” that put a lot of pressure on you. The pressure to perform or the expectations of others or of themselves also cause many students to cope. According to a Forsa survey, almost every German student in North Rhine-Westphalia feels stressed. Almost half of the respondents even feel stressed often or always. The reasons for this are audits, time pressure and financial concerns. Nervousness, exhaustion, headaches and sleep disturbances also contribute to stress.

Unfortunately, there is often the pressure of external expectations. Many parents want the best possible graduation for their child. Maybe because they regret never having made it themselves. Either because they lacked the opportunities to do so, no one believed in them, or they came from a working-class family where it was not customary to complete an Abitur (abitur) including studies. The reasons don't matter. The fact is that they unspokenly expect their children to achieve something. Therefore, many study without wanting to. In such a case, as a child, you dare not even dream of your desired profession, because you are afraid of failing, afraid of disappointing your parents.

But the expectations of society are also causing enormous pressure. The CV must include a lot of professional experience and the best possible degree, otherwise you will probably end up in the giant pot of all the applicants. The competitive thinking that prevails in many minds tempts us to always want to be perfect and the best. This is at the expense of our mental health. The risk of illnesses such as burnout or depression increases. A dozen students complain of serious psychological problems. The number of mental illnesses has increased by more than a third in the last 12 years. This is the result of a medical report by Barmer, which was prepared by the Göttingen Aqua-Institut. The Federal Statistical Office also states that in 2021 more than one in three students in Germany was at risk of poverty.

Part-time job to finance your studies

Financial constraints are usually the reason for students to take up a part-time job in order to be able to finance their living while studying. It adds to the stress. According to another Forsa survey, almost three quarters of students have a side job. This shows that not a few people are affected by the problem. Many people probably do not accept this stress at all and prefer not to study. In the long run, the rising cost of living means that only certain groups of people will be able to study. It is true that it has been possible to apply for BAföG for more than 50 years. But not everyone who actually needs financial support gets it. Trade unions, university bodies and politicians from various parties criticise the low parental allowances, the strictly regulated duration and the bureaucratic effort involved in submitting applications. Thus, students often have no choice but to take up secondary activities. And this in addition to a degree program designated as a 40-hour job. So the full-time study quickly turns into a 60-hour week. Financial constraints are usually the reason for students to take up a part-time job in order to be able to finance their living while studying. It adds to the stress.

According to another Forsa study almost three quarters of students have a side job. This shows that not a few people are affected by the problem. Many people probably do not accept this stress at all and prefer not to study. In the long run, the rising cost of living means that only certain groups of people will be able to study. It is true that it has been possible to apply for BAföG for more than 50 years. But not everyone who actually needs financial support gets it. Trade unions, university bodies and politicians from various parties criticise the low parental allowances, the strictly regulated duration and the bureaucratic effort involved in submitting applications. Thus, students often have no choice but to take up secondary activities. And this in addition to a degree program designated as a 40-hour job. So the full-time study quickly turns into a 60-hour week.

How can I deal with the pressure?

Basically, there is no recipe for reducing the pressure. Even less can be done against the expectations of others. But what can help is to lower expectations of oneself. It's okay if you don't study in regular time, because you can't do it, for example, because of the countless side jobs. A good life in which one fulfils oneself professionally is also possible without giving the best results in studies. Even without a chief position, you can be happy.

In addition, something has to happen in society and politics in the long term. The cost of financial support must be easier to reach. A further step is the move away from the romanticization of career- and competition-oriented CVs. Behind a student with average grades may be someone who already has a lot of initiative and expertise, someone who is very capable of learning but does not have the best grades because he suffers from exam anxiety. These reasons, but also grades, are not an indication of whether someone is suitable for a career or not. We must take care of this social rethinking together. For us and for all generations to come.

!!! And if that's still not enough, it's also okay to reset and get professional support.!!!