students may include homework, unclear assignments, uncomfortable classrooms and

time pressure set by the faculty member (Ross, Niebling & Heckert, 1999). The most

common stressors of college students may be intrapersonal, including the change in

sleeping habits, change in eating habits and new responsibilities (p.317). However,

changes in the environment may also change types of stressors. That is, measuring stress

at different times during the year and at different times leading to the completion of a

degree may find different levels of stressors. Shields (2001) found that stress had

detrimental effects on grade point average during the fall semester, but not the winter

semester. Shields postulates that the effects of a stressor diminishes once students begin

to activate positive reactions to the stressor. Regarding academic stress, Ross, Niebling

and Heckert (1999) found that increased class workload and lower grades than

anticipated were the two most frequent reported stressors among undergraduate students.

Pfeiffer (2001) believes that these academic stressors can cause depression and low self-

confidence (p. 13).

 In a study conducted to find the relationship between stressors, learning strategies

and test anxiety, Gadzella, Masten, and Stacks (1998) found that frustration was

negatively correlated (r=-.20, p<.05) with the learning strategy deep processing

(Schmeck, Ribich, Ramanaiah, 1977). That is, students do not become as frustrated when

they become more organized (Gadzella, Masten & Stacks, 1998). Surprisingly, this study

found no significant correlations with factors of stressors and test anxiety.

 Using Gadzella's Student-Life Stress Inventory (SSI), Misra and McKean (2000)

found that practices of time management lowered college student stress levels. However,

the Misra and McKean study contradicted the previously mentioned study by Gadzella,