Many students deal with stress in college. College can be exciting time, but it can be overwhelming as well. Among the myriad of new experiences, some of these may lead to unhealthy levels of stress which stunts a student's abilities to achieve their academic goals. Recognizing the sources of stress is important in preventing students from allowing it to control their lives. In fact, due partially to stress, a surprisingly high percentage of college freshmen don't go on to graduate. Stress defined in a pamphlet by the University of Illinois Chicago is as follows: Stress is simply the body's non-specific response to any demand made on it. Stress is not by definition synonymous with nervous tension or anxiety. Stress provides the means to express talents and energies and pursue happiness; it can also cause exhaustion and illness, either physical or psychological; heart attacks and accidents. The important thing to remember about stress is that certain forms are normal and essential. As the body responds to various forms of physical or psychological stress, certain predictable changes occur.These include increased heart rate, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and secretions of stimulatory hormones. These responses to stress will occur whether the stress is positive or negative in nature. In lay terms, it is known as the "fight or flight" mechanism. Continual exposure lowers the body's ability to cope with additional forms of psychological or physiological stress (UCI). Of the many stress factors it is acknowledged that the following three are considered the major and most common of these factors. The major cause of stress for a college student is Academics trying to maintain a healthy GPA through graduation. Analyses of students' responses to the open-ended question. "Right now in your life, what causes you the most stress?" confirm that academics and school work are major stressors for these youth" (Grant). A student's grades ca