What are the most common problems confronting SEEK freshmen at Hunter College today? Since 1973 I have used the Mooney Problem Checklist–an inventory of the most common problems confronting college students–to asses the problems of students on my caseload and to recommend solutions such as the use of block programming to facilitate the social and academic adjustment to the college environment. The ranking of the problem areas (11 of them) and the most common problems in each area have hardly changed since I started collecting data. This semester 34 students in my orientation courses responded to the inventory and the results are listed below.  I would appreciate  feedback on how it can be used to counsel students. What value does such an inventory have for students and counselors?  How would you use the inventory in class and/or in your individual counseling? Thank you for your contribution to this blog.

The area of Adjustment to College Work ranked first with an average of 11.8 problems (out of a possible 30).  The problems most often identified are:  

Not knowing how to study effectively–72%

Easily distracted from my work–81%

Not spending enough time in study–75%

Not getting studies done on time–57%

Fearing failure in college–60%

Unable to concentrate well–60%

 

The area of Personal and Psychological Relations ranked second with an average of 10.3 problems. The problems most often identified in this area are:

Being lazy–60%

Nervousness–54%

Worrying about unimportant things–54%

Cannot make up my mind about things–54%

Daydreaming–50%

Forgetting things–50%

The area of Home and Family ranked third with an average of 9.1 problems. The ones identified most often are:

Unable to discuss certain problems at home–63%

Being criticized by my parents–48%

Irritated by habits of a family member–50%

Parents sacrificing too much for me–45%

The area of Social Psychological Relations ranked fourth with an average of 8.3 problems. The ones identified most often are:

Being timid or shy–48%

Being too easily embarrased–42%

Being left out of things–42%

Worrying how I impress people–42%

Finding it hard to talk about my troubles–42%

The area of Social Recreational Activities ranked fifth with an average of 8 problems. The ones identified most often are:

Too little time to myself–57%

Not using my leisure time well–48%

Wanting to improve my appearance–45%

Wanting very much to travel–42%

The area of the Future: Vocational and Education ranked sixth with an average of 7.7 problems. The ones most often identified are:

Wondering if I will be successful in life–72d%

Not knowing what I really want–54%

Needing to decide on an occupation–42%

Wanting part-time experience in my field–42%

The area  of Health and Physical Development ranked seventh with an average of 6.1 problems. The ones most often identified are:

Feeling tired much of the time–78%

Not getting enough sleep–60%

Not as strong/healthy as I should be–57%

Not getting enough exercise–48%

The area of Finances and Living Environment ranked eighth with a average of 6.1 problems. The ones most often identified are:

Family worried about finances–54%

Too many financial problems–39%

Disliking financial dependence on others–39%

Lacking privacy in living quarters–36%

The area of Morals and Religion ranked ninth with an average of 6 problems. The ones most often identified are:

Parents old fashioned in their ideas–45%

Having a certain bad habit–39%

Having a troubled or guilty conscience–39%

The area of  Curriculum and Teaching ranked tenth with an average of 5.4 problems. The ones most often identified are:

Hard to study in living quarters–50%

Dull classes–39%

Too much work required in some courses–36%

The area of Courtship, Sex and Marriage ranked eleventh with an average of 5.1 problelms. The ones most often identified are:

Afraid of losing the one I love–45%

Wondering if I will ever find a suitable mate–36%

Going with someone my family won’t accept–33%