Grads should
stay in touch
Published: Wednesday,
April 13, 2005
|
by Aubrey Montoya
Student Robin Kim said she's a little stressed about her
future.
"It's all uncertain," she
said. "I don't know what's going to happen or what decisions I need to
make."
Dr. Jason Steinle may have the answers Kim is looking
for.
Steinle is the
host of television and radio versions of "The Steinle
Show" in
He said much of the stress college students experience has
to do with their doubts about the future and instability in their lives. Because
college students face so many choices and paths, they put pressure on themselves
to make good decisions from the start, he said.
"The truth is, it doesn't work that way," Steinle said. "It's impossible to make all the right
decisions from the beginning, but we put so much stress upon ourselves to do
that. It creates a lot of anxiety and depression that's self-generated - purely
based on expectations we've placed."
There are ways to make the transition into the real world
smoother, Steinle said. He said a support system is a
necessity.
"In college you're
surrounded by peers," he said. "You're so used to being around your peers that
you take it for granted. Then all of a sudden, you graduate from college and you
may end up at a company where you're the youngest one, and there's nobody close
to your age by about 10 years."
Steinle said a
way for people to make that transition into the workplace easier is to keep in
touch with friends from college.
"Whether it's by e-mail or telephone - to maintain those
college relationships you have today, especially as you first leave college, I
think would be really good advice for people," Steinle
said.
Student Madeline Breneman said Steinle's advice is
valid, but it is harder to achieve than he makes it out to
be.
"I think it's good advice, but whether or not anybody will take it is
up for discussion," Breneman said. "It's harder to
stay in touch than people actually acknowledge, so it might be hard for people
to actually take that to heart."
Steinle also
said there are ways to help yourself when you start to feel stressed, such as
asking four questions: What is the worst that could happen? What is the best
that can happen? What is most likely to happen? Am I willing to live with the
worst in order to have a shot at the best?
"What I've discovered through my research is that by
asking the four questions, it puts things into perspective," Steinle said. "Even though you still have all the decisions
to make, you are less likely to become overwhelmed."
Student Brian Schreiber agrees.
"I deal with stress by putting things in perspective and
prioritizing on things such as financial aid and stuff like that, which is
something I never had to deal with when I was in high school," Schreiber said.
"Now that I'm in the transition, I have to put things in priority of what I need
to do and get done at certain times."
People should also not anticipate great things all at
once, Steinle said.
"We expect to have the lifestyle that our parents have
today, not acknowledging that it took our parents 20 to 40 to 50 years to
achieve that quality of life," Steinle said.
Steinle also
said graduates should use the tools available to them. One of the most important
tools is communication, he said. He recommended Visiting www.toastmasters.org to learn more about groups in
people's area. He also recommended using people's names when talking to them and
to smile, because smiling puts the other person at ease.
"We live in a global society today," Steinle said. "Your ability to effectively communicate plays
a significant role in your success and quality of your
life."