After turning in that last final, students felt a wave of relief that finally summer break had arrived. And yet, this relief was short-lived. Summer break is less of a break and more of a shift from full-time student to full-time employee, intern, fellow, researcher, study abroad student, etcetera.
Getting into graduate school or a job after graduation has reached new levels of impossible in recent years. Across the country, colleges are restricting the number of students accepted into graduate programs as a result of potential federal funding cuts and cutting costs to keep the doors open.
And yet, students who don’t get into graduate school aren’t guaranteed a job from their degrees either. In 2018, one out of every five job listings would not result in a new hire. A couple years ago, it decreased to only one out of two. Since then, the job market has only gotten worse, making hiring for positions listed on job sites and employment boards inconsistent and unreliable.
That being said, there is no room for luxury and rest during undergraduate summers. Research from the University of Pittsburgh shows that “summer work benefits skill development, networking and career clarity.” These are key components of a qualified worker that the college transcript cannot provide, so without prior work experience, employers are hesitant to consider newly graduated students for full-time positions.
The result is students putting extreme pressure on themselves to be productive over the summer and flesh out a perfect resume to accompany the perfect GPA. It is not uncommon for students to work jobs, take classes, travel and conduct research all in the three-month span of summer that was supposed to be a “break.”
I find myself doing the same thing. This summer, I’m knocking out my literature class through an online course and studying for the Biology CLEP test to finish my general education requirements. I’m also working a full–time internship position for the USDA, a part-time position as a high school debate instructor, helping the religious studies department with a research project, preparing for my fall study abroad program, writing a research paper and applying to the AMP program.
And yes, I know I’m crazy, but I also know that I’m not alone. A good friend of mine, Katie Muskopf, a rising junior studying neuroscience, is a pre-med student preparing for the medical school admissions requirements. This summer, she is working part-time as an HR assistant, completing an accelerated Certified Nursing Assistant course with 5-hour daily classes, assisting in a developmental psychology research lab and studying for the GMAT needed to get into the MBA program.
We’re overworked, underpaid and wishing for days spent at the beach. The biggest and hardest thing is remembering that productive time doesn’t equate to overworked time. Students with the goal of employment want to maximize their productivity to prove that they’re hardworking and reliable, resulting in a toxic relationship with work and education.
“Toxic productivity is the new buzzword for workaholism, especially among students. The term refers to an obsession with constantly doing as much as possible without rest,” wrote journalist Mia Jung.
This toxic productivity results in heightened anxiety, often resulting in difficulty maintaining sleep, meal and exercise routines. Not to mention, social anxiety increases as students convince themselves summer always has time for more invitations, gatherings and trips despite many other commitments. In turn, this creates a feedback loop where students feel overwhelmed, pushing them into avoidance states. This state of avoidance then further increases the anxiety and results in guilt and toxic self-criticism, only generating more avoidance.
So how do we fix it?
Rather unsatisfying, the answer is to stop overscheduling. But we all know this is unlikely to happen, so here are a couple of other tips and tricks for keeping your sanity amidst the whirlwind of the summer schedule.
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities wellness group suggests maintaining sleep and exercise routines, staying connected with friends and family, detoxing regularly from screentime, setting work-life boundaries and making time for self-care.
Summer may not be the relaxing beach vacation college students envision on the last day of finals, so it’s important to recognize the issue and diagnose your own unhealthy commitments before they consume your mental, emotional and social well-being.
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