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  • Alice: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Alice.

  • Neil: and I'm Neil. Hello.

  • Alice: Hello, Neil. You went to university, didn't you?

  • Neil: Yes. Universitythe best days of my life.

  • I made fantastic friends, went to great parties...

  • Alice: Did some work?

  • Neil: Well, yeah, I did some work, but probably not enough.

  • Alice: Well, the subject of today's show is student mental health.

  • So, Neil, do you think you're looking back at your university days through rose-tinted spectacles?

  • And that means looking at a situation as being better than it really was.

  • Neil: I did feel out of my comfort zone when I arrived. Yes, everyone seemed to know everyone...

  • knew where to go.

  • Alice: Yes, well, being out of your comfort zone means being in a situation that you aren't

  • familiar with and which makes you feel nervous.

  • Did you talk to anyone about your feelings, Neil?

  • Did you get any counselling?

  • And that means professional help with personal or psychological problems.

  • Neil: What? No, not me. I'm one of those men who isn't good at talking about their feelings, Alice.

  • I just felt a bit homesick that's all – I missed my friends and family.

  • But let's move on, shall we! Why don't you ask me today's quiz question?

  • Alice: Alright then. So here it is: In a survey of students at Imperial College London,

  • how many students said they suffered from high levels of stress

  • or a mental health condition during their time at college? Was it... a) 1 out of 4?

  • b) 2 out of 4? or c) 3 out of 4?

  • Neil: Well, I'm going to go for c) 3 out of 4

  • because I do think that university life can be more stressful than people realize.

  • Alice: Yes. And stress means pressure or worry caused by a difficult situation.

  • OK, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on.

  • Now in the UK, there has been a rise in students using counselling services.

  • Neil: Why's that, Alice?

  • Alice: Well, let's listen to Kirsty, a student at Exeter University,

  • talking about why shehas had problems.

  • And here's a question for you while you listen: Did she enjoy her first days in college?

  • Kirsty McMurron: No. The thing is... it... is a real balancing act.

  • When I first got to university I don't think I'd really realized that

  • I'd forgotten how to make friends you know,

  • I'd been with the same school friends for seven years,

  • and so I was trying to balance... you know

  • social success with academic success

  • whilst learning how to look after myself at quite a young age.

  • And I think that's the experience of a lot of young people. And people really struggle with it.

  • Neil: What's a balancing act, Alice?

  • Alice: It's where you try to give your attention to two or more things at the same time.

  • So here, Kirsty is trying to balance making new friends with doing her academic work

  • and learning to look after herself.

  • Neil: What does Kirsty mean when she says she's learning to look after herself?

  • Alice: Well, to look after someone means to protect or take care of someone

  • and in this case, Kirsty's learning to take care of herself

  • for example doing her own shopping and cooking.

  • Neil: OK, let's listen to Dr Ruth Caleb of the counselling service at Brunel University in London

  • talking about what practical stuff students could learn before leaving for university

  • that might make life easier for them.

  • Dr Ruth Caleb: Certain things that I think it would be very very helpful for students

  • to have put in place are an ability to do the practical things of life

  • to do the washing, to do the cleaning and so onbeing able to cook.

  • Budgeting is extremely important in university life.

  • And also spending time on your own comfortably.

  • Neil: Yes, that's excellent advice. I couldn't boil an egg when I arrived at uni.

  • Alice: Oh, really? Can you do it now, Neil?

  • Neil: Just about, just about.

  • Alice: Yeah? Great. And what about budgeting? This means planning how much money you have

  • and how you will spend it.

  • Neil: I'm still pretty bad at that.

  • However, I am very good at spending time on my own comfortably.

  • Alice: Yes, I can believe thatfeet up, watching TV with a takeaway.

  • Neil: Takeaway, of course a takeaway cause I can't cook anything...

  • Neil: ... not even an egg. You know me so well. So how about the answer to today's quiz

  • Alice: Alright then. I asked: In a survey of students at Imperial College London,

  • how many said they suffered from high levels of stress or a mental health condition during their time at college?

  • Was it... a) 1 out of 4?

  • b) 2 out of 4? or c) 3 out of 4?

  • Neil: And I said c) 3 out of 4.

  • Alice: Yes. And you are correctwell done, Neil!

  • The survey, completed by over a thousand students,

  • also found that almost 70% of those that suffer from stress do so at least once a week,

  • and 9% of students feel stressed constantly. Stressed means anxious worry.

  • Neil: Well, I feel anxious just thinking about all that stress. Can we hear today's words again?

  • Alice: We certainly can. They are:

  • through rose-tinted spectacles

  • out of your comfort zone

  • counselling

  • homesick

  • stress

  • balancing act

  • look after yourself

  • budgeting

  • stressed

  • Neil: Well, that brings us to the end of today's 6 Minute English.

  • We hope you've had a stress-free time.

  • Please do join us again soon. You know where to find us, don't you?

  • Go to www.learningenglish.com

  • where you'll find grammar points, vocabulary and more editions of 6 Minute English.

  • Both: Bye.

Alice: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Alice.

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