Nature student survey: stress and uncertainty rule academia

Author: Marie Bek

Student life in academia can be rough: we have all heard nightmare stories about PhD’s working around the clock to obtain good results and finalize their thesis. In order to look beyond such anecdotes, the journal Nature performs a global survey of graduate students once every few years.  

This year’s survey results were published at the end of October, and for the first time included Master’s students as well. The results highlight some of the big problems in academia, some of which may also be recognisable at Utrecht University.  

Nature uses this survey to get a snapshot of the lives, experiences and difficulties of graduate students, which are generally overlooked by the larger academic society. This year, the survey had 3253 respondents, of which 35 percent were from Europe. Master’s students made up a quarter of this number. 

In the questionnaire, there was a strong emphasis on work-life balance, financial worries and mental health problems, which emerge as the biggest areas in serious need of attention and institutional reform.  

Work-life balance 

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance appears to be one of the main struggles of PhD and Master’s students. Almost seventy percent of the respondents say that this can be a big problem in daily life. One of the survey questions sheds some light on this problem. The question was about how many hours the student typically spends on their degree per week. More than twenty percent of respondents spend 51-61 hours and ten percent spends even more than 70 hours per week (i.e. 14 hours per work day). Overall, almost seventy percent work more than 40 hours per week. Here in The Netherlands, a 40-hour workweek is considered to be normal, but somehow in academia it is accepted that many students are chronically overworked.  

Financial problems 

The second big problem is the financial uncertainty that accompanies a career in academia. The majority admits to financial worries about life after graduating. For almost sixty percent of students, the overall cost of living is a challenge. Finding affordable housing and dealing with (future) student debt are also concerns. Considering the current situation here in The Netherlands with the crowded housing market and student debts, this will sound familiar to many Utrecht University students as well.   

Stress and mental health problems 

The problems above can have far-reaching effects. More than half of the respondents are concerned about how their degree negatively impacts their mental health. There is strong pressure to obtain good results, keep up to date with literature and meetings. And of course the publishing pressure, a well-known enemy of many PhD students. Strikingly, one-third indicated that they had help dealing with depression and anxiety that was caused by their academic work.  

Utrecht University 

The situation at UU may be similar, as demonstrated by a recent small survey carried out by DUB (digital university magazine). Utrecht University has several programmes and resources that may help students navigate stress. Perhaps most well-known, the Wellbeing Week. During this week, Utrecht University offers workshops and activities focused on dealing with stress and taking care of your (mental) health. Some of these activities are also available throughout the academic year, such as workshops about tackling stress and managing time.  

With mental health-awareness increasing in many parts of society, universities are starting to catch up. When a prestigious and high-impact journal like Nature starts to notice that something is amiss, the situation is serious. Increased awareness and university initiatives may help turn the tide for graduate students that are currently overworked, underpaid and uncertain about their future perspectives.