Written and Illustrated by Sylvain Chan
Second year can be tough: graduating from the safe ‘trial phase’ that is first year, as academia and one’s future prospects become of utmost concern. But how well do LSE students cope with these challenges? This data journalism aims to investigate the causes of stress within second-years, and the extent to which they effectively cope with these issues.
Regarding the methodology used to acquire this data, 25 semi-structure interviews were conducted with second years studying a variety of courses. Considering the small sample size, the data does not necessarily aim to be an accurate representation of the overall LSE second year population. Rather, this article strives to focus on the methods in which students use to deal with stress, providing an understanding on how students tend to their mental health.
Average stress levels
When asked to quantify their stress levels on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being extremely stressed, students’ current stress levels (at 3.1 – considering all factors at the moment of the interview) were on average, lower than their overall stress levels (at 3.27 – considering all factors across their academic year) on average.
These interviews predominantly took place during week 7 of Winter Term, which was summative season for many students, which contributed to the reasons why they were currently stressed. However, coming out of Reading Week proved to be relaxing as well, hence why the current scores were lower than overall ones. Interestingly, three students responded with numbers higher than 5, peaking at “20 billion” (those these were capped at 5 for accuracy). While a seemingly innocuous hyperbole, it nonetheless reflects
Interviewees that responded with lower stress levels (below 3), responded with answers that reflected an overall understanding that stress derive from manageable things occurring in the present, and therefore strive to deal with the source of stress as early as possible – “conquering the enemy” head-on as one student described.
What causes second year students stress?
38.6% of the reasons students cited why they felt stressed were due to academics, though this is not simply explained by impending deadlines. Many continue to find adjusting to the university teaching style difficult due to the shorter contact hours, and what can feel like an “impersonal” environment compared to highschool, as one interviewee states. Compared to high school, where digesting information becomes easier with the routine help of teachers that know your name and seem to be actively rooting for your success, finding the motivation to self-direct your own education in university can be difficult even after a years worth of time to adjust. Having “bad teachers”, as another student cites, can compound this further as they can make or break your interest in a course by affecting your ability to understand its content.
Lagging behind on readings can be especially troublesome for those that attempt to self-teach, as it means fundamentally losing out on invaluable knowledge. This is especially pertinent for political science students such as those that take History or Politics, where key theoretical ideas and case studies relevant to summatives or exams, are contained within these very readings. When it comes to these deadlines, four students complained about the lack of communication between departments and course directors, in lieu of how compactly
Another student also mentions the stress that comes from needing to excel in second year to compensate for his poorer performance in first year. While it is true for many LSE courses that the results you receive in first year do not significantly alter your final degree classification, performing ‘poorly’ in first year has the potential to nonetheless impact your education. Whether be lagging behind in general concepts that are carried on into second year, or just barely missing the mark on what could have been an overall first-class honours because of that one ‘bad’ summative in first year. Some students express the inverse concerns, where they feel pressured to maintain their stellar first-year performance to prevent themselves from slipping academically.
Evidently, many students value their education and attempt to make the most of their time at the LSE. As such, in addition to academic duties, many have taken on extracurriculars which has the negative externality of causing stress in their own right. 9.09% of the reasons students cited why they felt stressed were due to society commitments, vocalising their struggle with balancing their “intense academic expectations” alongside other voluntary work. However, the interviewees that mention these concerns also admit this stress is self-induced by overstacking on society commitments.
