Dessertation on ''stress on international students - Dissertation Example

To determine the specific stressors affecting the students, I structured questionnaires intended to be filled by the international students. In the the questionnaires the students are required to fill whether they are stressed or not by the following factors. They include financial challenges, university fees, getting job in the United Kingdom, language and accommodation. In addition, the questionnaire will determine whether international students pay more fees than the local students do. The questionnaires were sent 100 the international students through the internet and they were supposed to send back the results after one day.

The study will target undergraduate and graduate students and all genders. This study is informed by recent findings by Amposah (2010) which established that international students in Manchester University have considerably higher levels of stress than the local students in spite of them facing equal academic challenges. This has resulted to the students adopting poor stress coping mechanisms including drug abuse, dropping out of school and prevalence of psychological disorders. According to Agnes and Harriet (1993), stress is the emotional feeling a person experiences while under pressure.

In this regard, stress is a response of preparing the body to face anticipated tough challenges, with renewed focus, strength and high level of concentration. According to Abe, et al. (1998:21) regulated stress is a motivational factor and it enhances output of the affected person. However, too much stress arising from excessive pressure is counterproductive and it could lead to physical and mental illness. A research conducted by Amposah (2010) established that international students are very prone to stress because of enormous pressure of excelling in their studies, meeting their living expenses and adjusting in the foreign country.

Stress often happens in situations that require immediate attention, but in some cases, it extends for long periods causing a lot health and behavioral problems to a person. The effects of long-term stress normally results to feelings of being overwhelmed by the challenges at hand and low energy levels to cope (Mind for better mental health, 2010). Abe, et al (1998:442) established that congested schedules that hardly leave enough time for relaxation and rest as the most prevalent stressors among international students.

Though most international students face similar stressors, they have different ways of handling and coping with the stressing situations. Some externalize it by projecting their anger to other persons while other internalize the pressures resulting to mental and physical disorders .These can subsequently develop into severe health and behavioral conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks , drug abuse, suicidal tendencies among others(Mind for better mental health, 2010). This study investigates stressors on international students, undertaking their studies in Manchester University in the United Kingdom.

Manchester University in United Kingdom has an ancient tradition of attracting and admitting students from different countries in the world. The most common feature that attracts foreign students to universities in the UK is the high academic standards that often lack in the institutions of higher learning in their home countries. British universities are credited for producing prominent personalities in the world in their respective areas of specialization. In this respect, they attract numerous