Academic, social, and psychological challenges of university students in the city of Rochester: the role of demographic and socioeconomic factors

Abstract

This study aims to thoroughly examine the social, academic, psychological, financial, and career-related challenges faced by university students in Rochester. The research seeks to analyze the difficulties students encounter and provide potential solutions. Qualitative research methods and a case study approach were employed. The data was collected from 70 students who attended different universities in Rochester and analyzed by the use of web-based surveys. To achieve diversity in terms of demography, the following variables were taken into account for example university attended, department studied, class level, gender distinctions, hometown, and socio-economic status of the family. The research indicates that students undergo various challenges such as educational demands, economic hardships, and social adjustment problems, time management problems as well as (emotional problems) mental disturbances. Among the participants, 57.1% were from the Rochester Institute of Technology, 27.1% from Nazareth College, and 11.4% from the University of Rochester. Regarding parental education levels, 46% of mothers and 30% of fathers had completed 2- or 4-year university programs. Half of the students identified their families as "middle class," 25% as "lower class," 20.3% as "upper-middle class," and 4.7% as "upper class." The findings demonstrate that the challenges faced by university students significantly affect their academic and social lives. One of the major problems affecting students' progress in schools is stated as having mental health problems. Universities should thus improve counseling facilities, provide psychological help for such students as well as establish financial aid systems that can assist them during this period of time. These are very important facts which, can be used to make learners’ lives better and make universities a better place to be at.