Katya is in a position a great deal of college students face.

She is under a pressure to do well

academically because she faces risking her scholarship. College is expensive and I can relate to

her situation. Having self-efficacy is crucial because it gives us the confidence in our own

abilities to achieve academically. There are many ways that we can help Katya build her self-

efficacy, to start off I would link Katya to a mentor who would be a business professional that is

motivated and highly achieving. Through vicarious experiences Katya can learn how to deal

with stress and receive good advice in dealing and pushing through daily stresses in life. In turn

this will her help believe in herself and help her master task of high stress levels. Verbal

persuasion through a mentor can also help her convince herself that she is not alone and that she

is capable of dealing with stressful situations in a productive manner. Setting smalls goals and

taking mini-steps towards success is another great way to slowly build self-efficacy. For instance

celebrating small goals like doing well on a quiz or finishing a weekly module for an online class

is a good way to slowly help Katya with having the confidence that she is doing well in class and

taking the right steps to success.

In one study during my research it is said that self-efficacy and associating it with small

academic achievements has positive relation to building confidence. Since she studies diligently

as stated, it seems as though she is taking the right actions toward her academic success, but

lacks the self-confidence to believe in her work. So I would suggest that she take time to focus

on the positives in her life. Taking time to reflect upon what she has achieve and not toward

what she has not will help her build positive reinforcement.

I feel another good step is seeking professional help. Seeking a psychologist can help her

mentally deal with her anxiety that she faces. A professional can help her get though her metal

breakdowns and together she can find a way to deal with pressures in a positive and productive
manner. I personally would never recommend medication, but I have also witnessed one of my

friends struggle with anxiety and under her psychiatrists recommendation go on anti-anxiety

medication. She is now almost a straight As student and is excelling in school. I am not a

professional so I would tell her to explore that option so weigh in the benefits on whether this

would be a good option for her.

I personally would seek professional help if I have exhausted all other options and it is effecting

my life significantly. I would seek help because professionals are trained to deal with these

situations and have seen these cases many times before. They can help find techniques that

would help that a person would not think of by themselves. I personally have seen friends find

professional help and it has help them deal with problems they may have. Sometimes it is hard

to confide in parents or friends for fear of judgement and I feel that a professional has the

confidentiality to help without judgement.

Some of the actions I would take to decrease anxiety would be to firstly try and get some

exercise. Personally I exercise at least 4 time a week and I feel that it helps me with confidence

as well as cognitive daily tasks. It helps my mental state because I can let all the noise out of my

brain and just concentrate on the task of exercising and is a sort of meditation for me. Another

step that can be taken is to eat properly. Eating good healthy foods can help with blood flow and

get hormones in check. Lastly having a good social support group is a very healthy way of

sharing problems and frustrations in life. Taking time to develop friendship and helping one

another out with problems creates good social support. Having positive and helping friends can

help a person cope with difficult situations. I believe that having positive people around a social

circle helps with mental health and can create positivity towards life.
Some ways to form realistic expectations before being a school semester is to look at smaller

steps. Breaking goals down into steps helps a person deal with a big task in mini-steps. For

example a good realistic expectation would be to show up for class every single day except for

when really sick. Simply being in a learning environment is a right small step into academic

success as you are there to learn the subjects being taught. Another realistic expectation you can

set is to check for due assignment every week to make sure as a student you are doing everything

you can to create success for yourself.

In conclusion I feel that everyone deal with stress differently in life. It is good to remember what

you are doing right in life and focus on those things to build strong self-efficacy. I for one know

if I do everything I can at the end of the day I took all the right steps to further myself and I feel

good about the work that I do. This is a very good evaluation of a real life situation and created

awareness for me about my own self-efficacy.

Citations:

1. Keiley, L. (2006). The Secret to Stress Relief. Mother Earth News, (216), 68-71.

Retrieved from: https://login.ezp.pasadena.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=aph&AN=20961811&site=ehost-live
2. JOHNSON, I. (2017). FEMALE FACULTY ROLE MODELS, SELF-EFFICACY AND

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. College Student Journal, 51(1), 151-172. Retrieved

from : https://login.ezp.pasadena.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=aph&AN=121530623&site=ehost-live
3. Carey, M. (n.d.). Self-Efficacy Teaching Tip Sheet. Retrieved April 10, 2017,

from http://www.apa.org/pi/aids/resources/education/self-efficacy.aspx