阅读理解 Lisa is a good example of a student in shock. She is an attractive, intelligent twenty-year-old college junior at a state university. She was a straight-A student in high school and a member of the basketball and softball teams there. Now, only three years later, Lisa is miserable. She has changed her major four times and is forced to hold down two part-time jobs in order to pay her tuition. She suffers from sleeping and eating disorders and has no close friends. Sometimes she bursts out crying for no apparent reason.
What is happening to Lisa happens to millions of college students each year. As a result, roughly one-quarter of the student population at any time will suffer from symptoms of depression(low spirits). Of that group, almost half will experience depression extremely enough to call for professional help. But many put that idea aside, because they don't want people to think there's something wrong with them.
There are three reasons why today's college students are suffering more than in earlier generations. First is a weakening family support structure. Today, with high divorce rates and many parents experiencing their own psychological difficulties, the traditional family is not always available for guidance and support.
Another problem is financial pressure. In the last decade tuition costs have skyrocketed up about sixty-six percent at public colleges and ninety percent at private schools. At the same time there has been a cutback in federal aid to students. College loans are now much harder to obtain. As a result, most students must work at least part-time.
A final cause of student shock is the large selection of majors available. Because of the importance and difficulty of choosing a major, college can prove to be a time of great indecision. Many students change majors. As a result, it is becoming commonplace to take five or six years to get a degree. It can be depressing to students to be faced with the added tuition costs.