A growing body of research points to college students experiencing emotional disruptions at higher frequency and greater intensity than in previous years. Despite the increase in occurrence of disruption, usage of campus counseling has not increased at the same rate. Though more students are experiencing difficulty navigating the stress of college, they are not using the resources that the campus has designed for them. This research focused on seeking to better understand what specific stresses students experience during the first year of college, from whom or what they seek assistance when they experience specific types of emotional disruptions, and what incentives and barriers exist to utilizing a variety of resources.

Qualitative data was collected via 27 one-hour interviews with first-year students living in on-campus housing. The Office of Residential Life sent an email invitation of 300 randomly generated students on my behalf. Of the 300 invitations sent, I conducted interviews with 27 students (9% response rate). Interview transcripts were coded for themes, which evolved into the following findings: (1) Most students experience stress in the first year, the primary causes being academics and social relationships. (2) Students rate their stress level as severe, but consider this normal. (3) Students bypass campus resources, prefering personalize coping methods including friends, family, and self reflective activities. (4) Students seek out resources where they feel "known" and avoid campus resources because they don't believe their problems are acute enough to seek help.

Institutions seeking to design campus offerings should look beyond traditional campus mental health services and develop partnerships with the recourses currently utilized by students, peers and family members. Additionally, institutions should invest in intentional and holistic student development including training in stress management and decision-making. The more institutions can do to equip first-year students to navigate the stress of the transition to college will be a valuable investment in student success.