Webster University

Stress in
Relation to
Number of
Credit Hours in
Undergraduate
Students

Mx. Miranda Alexander

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Analyzing Stress as a Result of Number of Credit Hours

Stress is our bodys emotional, physical, and psychological response to demands and
expectations. It is the response our brain has to events or challenges that cause physical or
emotional tension, (Vorvick, 2014). Stress can push us beyond our limitspositively or
negatively. Young children may experience stress as they attempt to navigate between the
perceived expectations of their parents and their teachers, as well as their personal desire to
excel. Into adulthood, stress related to work and family generally take precedenceand adults
tend to develop personal coping mechanisms for handling stress. Each person experiences life
differently; however, the transition from adolescence into adulthood is perhaps the most stressful
time for any person. Teenagers and young adults become stressed as they juggle school, work,
social lives, puberty, emotions, family troubles, and all other aspects of being a successful,
socialized human. Their stress lies in the perception of where they have come from, where they
currently are, and where they want to be. Growing up, moving out on ones own, and attempting
to develop ones own life is an extremely stressful process.
The main way in which our society expects us to develop our own life is through
education. Even the concept of pursuing higher education is stressful. In the United States, a
potential student must excel in high school, take part in extra-curricular activities, participate in
standardized tests (SAT/ACT), search for financial aid, and decide which college or university
would be best for what they may want to do with their lives. In short, young adults are
overwhelmed with the stress of making a decision that they feel will affect every component of
their life. Undergraduate students are crushed under the idea that they need to receive a degree
that will lead to a successful career in order to have a happy lifewithout an acceptable degree
from a semi-reputable university, students are told they will amount to nothing. We place an

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enormous amount of weight on the shoulders of our students. Due to the societal and personal
expectations of undergraduate students, levels of stress depend on numerous factorsincluding
but not limited to program requirements, involvement in extra-curricular activities, scholarship
requirements, and amount of credit hours.
This study will examine the influence of number of credit hours on level of stress.
Hypothetically, students with more credit hours may be more stressed than those with a low to
moderate number of classes. Most courses require individual projects, papers, reading
assignments, attendance, participation, and creation of unique material. Students with six full
classes, (18 credit hours), will generally have twelve different midterm and final exams, at least
20 different essays, and a minimum of 192 different reading assignments (if a 16-week-long
course assigns two reading assignments each week; multiplied by six classes). If students are
able to complete every reading assignment, homework assignment, test, and paper on time,
perhaps they will be less stressed. However, most students also have at least a part-time job
many also juggle internships, childcare, and social lives. Logically, it would make sense that a
student with more classes has a larger workload.
Using data from surveying 200 college students, this study will examine if there is a
correlation between number of credit hours and level of stress. The survey, composed of twelve
rating-based questions and six demographic-based questions, asks surveyors to analyze the ways
in which they do or do not experience relaxation, optimism, fatigue, and other emotional and
physical indicators of stress. Focusing on levels of stress and number of credit hours, this study
will analyze if a greater number of credit hours causes a larger amount of stress.

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References
Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director and Director of Didactic Curriculum, MEDEX
Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Department of Family Medicine, UW
Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Updated 2014.
<https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003211.htm>