Abstract

According to the 2024 National College Health Assessment, roughly one in five college students experience serious psychological distress (ACHA, 2024). High levels of psychological distress among college students are well-documented (Emmerton et al., 2024; Eisenberg et al., 2013; Bewick et al., 2010), yet less is known about the specific experiences that contribute to this distress. Grounded in multiple theoretical frameworks, this study examines students’ negative academic experiences, their perceived causes, and associated outcomes. Using an online crowdsourcing platform, current higher education students (N = 215) described their most negative academic experience (NAE) and then answered questions about their reactions and interpretations of it. Thematic analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006), was used to create eight themes from participant free responses regarding the description of their most negative academic experiences (NAE). These themes, listed from most to least common, were: *Overwhelming Academic Workload*, *Unkind or Negligent professors*, *Personal Affairs* *and Responsibilities, Financial Burden of Higher Education, Peer Conflict, Navigating Academic Policies, Extreme Exogenous Forces, and Prejudice and Oppression.* Interestingly, approximately one-third of the sample had NAEs involving multiple themes, highlighting the complexity of NAEs. When asked about the cause of the NAE, students overwhelming perceived the cause of the event to be outside of their locus of control and a majority of the sample indicated that the NAE changed their future aspirations. Students reported that they coped with their NAE by primarily utilizing avoidant coping (N = 90; 58.64%). Overall, the findings suggest that students are having profoundly negative experiences in higher education that are highly complex and consequential for their long-term academic plans.

Committee Chair

Dr. Andrew Butler

Committee Members

Dr. Rowhea Elmesky, Dr. Bronwyn Nichols Lodato

Degree

Master of Arts (AM/MA)

Author's Department

Education

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

Spring 5-2026

Language

English (en)

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