Students and parents stressed out by college application process

According to the Princeton Review’s annual survey of college-bound students’ hopes and worries for 2012, figuring out how to pay for college is one of the greatest source of both college-bound students and parents’ worries.

Results are are based on responses from 10,650 people, about 70% college-bound students and 30% their parents, from all 50 states, Washington DC, and abroad. Their findings showed that stress levels during the college application process are “high” or “very high” for the majority of parents and college-bound students. About 71% of respondents overall, up 2% from last year and up 15% from 2003, reported feeling this way.

With cuts to federal financial aid programs due to the sequestration looming, it appears likely that students’ and parents’ stress levels will continue to rise. A whopping 87% of students and 83% of parents said that financial aid would be “Extremely” or “Very” necessary for the student to attend college.

The poor state of the economy has impacted college decisions for both groups as well. Perhaps surprisingly, this was a greater concern for students than their parents, with 77% of students factoring the state of the economy in their decision versus 70% of parents. But of course, students will be the ones taking out additional loans, have a harder time finding jobs in the difficult economy, and ultimately be responsible when their loan lenders come calling.

The pressure of the college application and financial aid process can put an enormous strain on students and families alike. Planning ahead and setting deadlines are important to make the process go as smoothly as possible. College counselors can also be a great resource for answering questions and helping you through this difficult time. With the average public high school guidance counselor to student ratio at 435 to 1, many students and parents find they can’t get the individual attention they need.

It’s important to develop healthy habits to manage stress during the college application and financial aid process. Check out these tips on reducing stress when applying for college or unwind using the meditative video for students below.