Research Blog #8: Interview

I interviewed my floor mate Nicole for my project. I met her when I moved into my dorm in September, and we became really good friends. I soon learned that she has an anxiety disorder, and she has had a lot of difficulty handling stress in the past. Just as I get stressed from all of the work I need to complete, Nicole does as well but it has a larger impact on her. This is why I decided to interview her. She is the perfect example of a stressed out college student. I learned that she believes that all college students are especially vulnerable to stress due managing all of the work and exams. When I asked her about college stress she responded, "It is a big adjustment from high school. You have to learn how to manage your time and work load properly. No one is telling you what to do anymore." I then asked her about her stress prior to and during college and she responded, "Yes, I have had stress prior to entering college due to my anxiety disorder. I am on medication and learned to cope fairly well with stress. There are good days and bad days." She, also, mentioned that her major is undecided, and this is stressing her out since she does not know what she wants to do with her life. She believes that students majoring in the sciences have a lot more stress than other majors. All of her points made could definitely be made in my final research paper to support my ideas.