10 Common Problems Students Face During College

College can be a daunting and fun time. It's can also be a stressful time, especially now, in our broken economy which leads use to our first problem.

1. Money. The "starving student" is more that just an adage, it's an actual fact.Students are strapped for cash and have to find ways to finance their education, housing, and nutrition. I knew of a guy who lived in someone's basement and whose three course meal consisted of dry cereal. Forget poverty level, many students live below poverty level unless their parents are rich or they're former child stars.

2. Courses. It isn't always that easy to sign up for classes. There are these annoying little deadlines which students have to register for a classes. If they're past these deadlines they have to be placed on a waiting list but there's no guarantee they'll be admitted to the class. Often times that leaves an annoying little block of free time because you couldn't register for that one class. This means you have to take the class during the Summer or have to pack it on top of other classes you have to take the following semester (if it's offered the following semester).

3. Time to work and study. Not only do students have to pinch pennies in order to survive, many have to work. This means cramming in a lot of studying within a short period of time and still maintaining a desirable G.P.A while working part-time. The students who have jobs have no alternative than have less then five hours of sleep during the week, if that. This is particularily the case during finals. Don't be fooled, this is harder than the real world.

4. Student/professor relationships. Not much is conveyed in the media or movies about the excessive arrogance of professors. While not all professors are arrogant and this flaw is not necessarily a bad thing, if it affects a student's professional relationship with the professor or their grades, then it is. Unfortunately, professors have this little thing called "tenure" which enables them to get a way with murder without repercussions. Students are not very protected (ombudsman is a joke). I knew of many cases in my former university that ended going all the way to the supreme court (in fact, it was written about in the college newspaper).

5. Deadlines. I know I mentioned this in number three but I want to expand on it because it's such an important problem in college life. At the beginning of the semester we are given syllabuses which lists the deadlines for projects, homework, and exam dates (which is a deadline if you quantify time). Students are often scrambling during the semester to finish projects and study at the same time in order to turn everything in by the date listed in the syllabus while passing exams with a desirable grade. Unless a family member died, you have some sort of relevant illness that a licenced doctor is treating, or you're being shipped to Iraq or Afghanistan to serve in the armed forces, you have meet the deadlines.

6. Group work. Group work is not as nice as it sounds. Sometimes students have great groups where everyone pitches in and do a solid job on the project. Other times you're stuck with one person who is either lazy and doesn't do their share of the work or wants to control everything though they might not have the best judgement. The end result could be a poor grade for the group as whole.

7. Politics. Whether it pertains to professors or students, student life is very political. A good salesperson or politician would do well in this environment because they know what to say and do. Kissing a** and knowing the hierarchtical system helps.

8. Majors. We all know unemployment is extremely high right now. If you leave college with the wrong degree, you might find it hard to find a job or you might be forced to turn to business or education for jobs. On the other hand, some students switch majors like they switch lovers. If you're a student, make up your mind and choose wisely

9. Drugs and alcohol. In college they're everywhere. Students are now adults and are taking full advantage of that fact. Unfortunately, it could have a negative impact on their studies, social life, and health. Students have died because of drug overdoses or alcohol poisoning.

10. Sexual promiscuity. You only need to think of the advertisements for "Girls Gone Wild" to know what I mean. Students deal with a host of problems caused by sexual promiscuity from unwanted pregnancies to STDs. Fortunately, colleges take great pains to prevent potential problems by educating students on preventative matters.