Project 3 : Case Study Analysis Final

Katya is a smart girl, she studies diligently and currently holds a 3.0 grade point average.
Unfortunately, Katya experiences severe test anxiety and doesnt feel that her study efforts will help.
Katya is on the brink of losing her scholarship and sadly her scholarship depends on a test. Katya
experienced a panic attack while studying for the test and needs help.
My first year as a college freshman was stressful. I came from a high school that literally
cherished me for being an excellent athlete. I excelled in school and happened to be captain of the
volleyball team. I received a scholarship my senior year and had a lot of opportunities to further my
passion for volleyball. I gave up my scholarship to Northridge because my boyfriend at the time was
afraid I would meet someone else. Obviously I knew that this was a very confusing dilemma but I wasnt
thinking about the long term effect of my decision not to take the scholarship. Eventually, I caught him
cheating and immediately felt the guilt of giving up my scholarship for nothing. I quit school after high
school because I liked the feeling I had making my own fast money. My self-esteem was low and my
stress caused me to give up on my dreams and live a life I couldnt be proud of. I was so caught up in
what was happening and how fast I was making such big decisions that eventually it led me to a
psychological burnout. I couldnt get myself to eat. I started using drugs and drinking, dangerously
mixing the two at times. I broke. I tried to commit suicide by swallowing a lot of ibuprofen pills and
could have ended up dead if it werent for my brother finding me. It is easy to see how my stress from
my break up caused me to quit school. This is my example of how I let outside factors contribute to my
academic success. Proving that what Katya is feeling is normal to someone in some way. It happened to
me too. I assumed that because I gave up my scholarship, relationship and my dream of becoming a
professional athlete, it seemed only right to quit school and reevaluate the way I lived my life
altogether. Looking back I realize that awareness would have helped me get through that tough time. I
didnt have a mother that taught me about being independent so revolving my life around a guy only

seemed right. I had to learn about rationality and maintaining composure the hard way. Although I
appreciate the situation and the lesson it taught me, I will say that I wish I knew then what I knew now.
Things would have played out a lot differently and I feel that with my knowledge I would have been able
to have more control and rationality about my experience with stress. It is too easy for us to take
whatever is going on in our lives and let that get in the way of our academic success, its too easy to fail.
To prevent this, it is smart to locate, avoid, prevent and control our stress.
I would say that since Katyas stress is affecting her physically, she should get professional help.
My father used to tell me that even when I feel like I know whats wrong, sometimes its best to hear it
from someone who knows what theyre talking about. The thing about college is that when we enter,
we experience separation anxiety from the privileged ways of high school. Depending on where you
come from, most schools go out of their way to help their students by keeping track of things for them.
In high school almost everything is taken care of by administration or parents but when we get to
college it is almost a slap in the face. Schools now keep in touch with us instead of our parents.
Professors could care less if you drop or not because failure is something they see every semester.
Everything is left up the us as students and there is a lot of pressure to survive and thrive in such a
competitive environment. The stress from this alone is extremely physically and mentally exhausting.
The first step I would advise Katya to take is realize that she has a problem with stress and that she
needs to better manage her time especially if she is stressing about losing a scholarship. Her stress is
now putting her future in jeopardy and requires her to make a change or lose all that shes worked for.
Katya needs to understand that awareness is probably going to be what helps in developing a plan to
avoid, prevent and control the things that cause her stress.
I would recommend Katya to also develop a sense of appraisal. Appraisal is the bodys natural
response to stress and the first step in mastering this skill is being able to locate the stressor from a

realistic perspective. Taking a more realistic view of her stressor is a good start. The stressor is that
Katya is being forced to face the pressure of passing this exam because she isnt meeting the demand of
her end of the scholarship requirements. Next Katya should think back to other times she may have
experienced her test anxiety and try to become familiar with the way it makes her feel. She then needs
to decide whether or not she needs to take action and if so, how. Finally Katya needs to understand that
working on her reaction to test anxiety will take time and effort but will pay off in the long run. Lastly, in
the appraisal process, Katya should decide how she plans to cope with the stressor from here on out. (3)
The goal out of this is to have this skill under her belt so that it can contribute to building her selfefficacy. That is the belief that her efforts will produce results in her favor because she worked for that
result. Developing relaxing techniques can possibly help the panic attacks Katya experiences. I would
recommend Diaphragmatic/Deep Breathing. This is when one fills the lungs by using the movement of
the diaphragm and lower abdomen. This can put Katyas body and mind at ease in a simple
concentrated breath. Lastly I would recommend Yoga. It is a natural form of therapy, one that requires
you to relax yourself physically and let go of anything clouding the mind. This can really benefit Katyas
stress because it is designed to relax, refresh and rejuvenate. Yoga practices breathing control and
holding postures. It reduces inflammation and even boosts ones mood. All could save Katya from the
pressure of excelling academically.
Outside of the classroom I would advise Katya to study at least a week in advance. She can
review the content maybe the night before but lightly, so that she doesnt overload herself with
information. Next she can get a good nights rest and try to stick to a balanced diet. Eating right the
night before can really benefit her physical state the next day. Inside the classroom and when it comes
down to exam time. I would suggest Katya to start by distinguishing how much time she has to do the
test. She does this by briefly skimming through the test in case there are answers she knows right away.
Reading every question in its entirety and fully understanding are key factors in test taking. Save the

questions shes stuck on for later in the exam. Staying on track and remember the reasons she wants to
pass can help her self-efficacy kick in when the anxiety tries to play a role in the test taking process. (3)
To conclude I would remind Katya that it is almost abnormal not to feel stress in college. College
Students in Iran are experiencing the same exact academic stress we feel in America. Proving that its
absolutely normal for Katya to feel what she does, because it is happening world-wide. (1) It is her
reaction that is clouding the vision she has of herself. The time it takes and the effort she may need to
put in will be hard but working to become a better more controlled Katya should be her goal. She should
be mindful not to get too into her head and believe in the strength of her self-efficacy. She clearly has
the mind to possess a scholarship and she needs to let that fact push her positively toward her dreams.
Taking a realistic approach, admitting to needing help, making a plan and acting on that plan are all
steps she can take in becoming a better, less stressed test taker.
Works Cited:
1. LARIJANI, T.T., AGHAJANI, M. BAHEIRAEI, A. & NEIESTANAK, N.S. (2010). RELATION OF
ASSERTIVENESS AND ANXIETY AMONG IRANIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. JOURNAL OF
PSYCHIACTRIC & MENTAL Health Nursing. 17 (10) 893-899. Doi: 10.1111/j.12652850.2010.01607
2. Seligman, L.D., & Wuyek, L.A. (2007). Correlates of Separation Anxiety Symptoms Among First
Semester College Students. An Exploratory Study. Journal Of Psychology. 141(2), 135-145
3. Donatelle, R. (2007). Health: The basics (7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin
Cummings.