By Joseph A. Kitchen
College students’ well-being, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and in light of startling statistics about the state of mental health among the nation’s youth, remains a hot topic in higher education. Working in partnership with three midwestern universities, PASS researchers examined how students are spending their time in college and its impact on their well-being. My colleagues and I identified a number of practical recommendations that can effectively support student well-being as they navigate their college experience.
We conducted a mixed-methods study of the relationship between students’ time use and well-being during the first-year transition to college. We discovered that some of the most common ways that students use their time in college — including studying, doing homework, attending class and working — had unfavorable impacts on their well-being. Socializing with others, while at times challenging to find time to do so, nourished students’ well-being. When discussing the way their classes, studying/homework, working, and socializing shaped their well-being, students described two influential underlying factors that affected their experiences: (a) structuring time and developing a routine, and (b) the power of reflection and meaning-making.
Students discussed how differently their schedule was structured in high school compared with their postsecondary education and the challenges they faced in finding a structure to their time that worked for them during their transition to college. They also discussed the positive impacts on their well-being when they did find a structure to their schedule that worked for them and their unique set of needs and goals. Having a routine alleviated the stress of balancing the multiple demands on their time during the college transition (e.g., class, work, family commitments, socializing) and contributed to improving their well-being. Structuring in, and protecting, time to socialize and rest was a necessity to support their well-being.
We also learned from students the power of opportunities to reflect on how they were spending their time and why and to make adjustments as appropriate so that their time use was aligned with their goals. It was also a valuable exercise to reflect on all they accomplished with their time — both big and small things — and this effort helped nourish their well-being. Students often felt the pressure of unrealistic expectations of perfectionism (e.g., perfect grades) that challenged their well-being.
What was absolutely crucial was that students had support from educators, practitioners and faculty as they reflect on how they were spending their time and why, reassess goals and expectations, prioritize demands on their time, and explore tools and strategies to (re) structure their time and find routines that suite their unique set of needs and demands on their time both in (e.g., classes) and out (e.g., family care) of college. It is the responsibility of educators to proactively engage students in reflections about how they spend their time, identify realistic goals for college, and proactively discuss how to structure their time to support their well-being during the transition to college.
Students spoke about the incredible value of college transition programs, educators, staff, and others working on the ground with students who aided them in developing a routine that worked for them and engaged them in reflection on how they were spending their time and why, and the ways this support alleviated stressors and supported their well-being. However, not all students had access to this kind of support, and as a result some struggled or were left to trial and error — with consequences for their well-being. This brings to bear the centrality of the student support work that transition programs and student support offices offer related to college students’ well-being.
Given the critical role of college educators and student support programming in aiding students as they navigated their time use and well-being, we identified several recommended practices. Our practice brief describes how college faculty, practitioners, advisors and other staff can take responsibility for supporting students as they navigate how they use their time during the transition to an unfamiliar postsecondary school environment. We recommend several strategies including incorporating opportunities to proactively discuss planning and well-being resources on campus, recognizing students accomplishments, collaborating with students to set realistic academic expectations, and helping students find opportunities to socialize and rest to nourish their wellbeing.
Read more about PASS research on time use and well-being.
