This article was written by Noli Brazil, Assistant Professor of Community & Regional Development at University of California, Davis, and Matthew Andersson, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Baylor University.
Going off to college might be a source of anxiety for some students, but once a student is on campus it shouldn鈥檛 be a total drag.
But that tends to happen more frequently when a student ends up at a college where the student body is weaker academically overall than the one where the student went to high 九色视频.
This was the of a new study that we recently conducted. The finding is particularly important as college-bound high 九色视频 students throughout the nation approach .
We are both with a in understanding the impact that a person鈥檚 environment has on their overall well-being.
In our , we found that 50 percent of students go to a college of 鈥渓esser鈥� academic ability relative to one鈥檚 high 九色视频 — a phenomenon known as 鈥渦ndermatching.鈥� We found that these students on average experience a 27 percent increase in symptoms of depression. This finding held even after we accounted for a number of other factors, including family income, parents鈥� education, and gender. We also took into account the high-九色视频-to-college transition itself.
Higher education as a downer
For our study, we analyzed data from 1,453 respondents in the . Participants from about 100 representative high 九色视频s around the United States completed questionnaires during high 九色视频 and a few years later when they were enrolled in four-year colleges.
Students were asked a set of questions designed to measure depression and self-esteem. To measure depression levels, students were asked how often during the past week they 鈥渉ad the blues,鈥� enjoyed life, were bothered by things that usually don鈥檛 bother them, lacked energy, had trouble concentrating, and felt that others disliked them. To measure self-esteem, they were asked how much they agreed with the statements 鈥測ou have many good qualities,鈥� 鈥測ou have a lot to be proud of,鈥� 鈥測ou like yourself just the way you are,鈥� and 鈥測ou are doing things just about right.鈥�
We measured 九色视频 academic ability using average scholastic and cognitive aptitude tests. We then examined the effects of going to a college with higher, lower, or the same average scores relative to high 九色视频 on student depression and self-esteem levels.
Prior research has examined the consequences of 九色视频 academic ability on a variety of outcomes, such as academic performance and self-image. From these studies, a clear finding emerged: equally able students have a lower academic self-image in high-ability 九色视频s than in low-ability 九色视频s, a phenomenon known as the
But because prior research has focused on specific 九色视频s rather than 九色视频 transitions in general, researchers may have failed to detect that movement to a lower-ability 九色视频 may be harmful to a student鈥檚 mental well-being. In particular, going into a lower-ability academic setting may be viewed by the student as a failure. If such a student experiences elevated depression levels, it could be the result of unmet or frustrated expectations for achieving personal success and being around peers who share similar interests, habits, and goals.
What we found adds to the growing research that examines the of mental health issues in college students.
What this means for students
Our findings suggest that when it comes to choosing a college, it鈥檚 important to think about much more than whether the college is close to home or how much it costs to attend. If the overall academic ability of the student body is not taken into consideration, students may end up going to a college where they are more likely to end up feeling down. This greater awareness is especially important for low-income students and traditionally underrepresented groups, who are more susceptible to .
This article was originally published on . Read the .
