Many girls suffer from an eating disorder particularly when they are in their teenage years or early 20s. A Swedish study recently discovered a link in which girls with highly educated parents and grandparents have a higher risk of developing an eating disorder, especially if they did well in school themselves.

The study followed 13,000 females between 1952 and 1989. It found that girls from families with high academic achievement were at greater risk for being hospitalized for anorexia or another eating disorder. Researchers believe the reasoning behind this is that the girls feel more pressure from their families to succeed. Many girls develop an eating disorder because they feel their body and their weight are something that they can control. Higher achieving girls are more likely to be perfectionists and have personality traits that make them more prone to develop eating disorders. Academic achievement, on the other hand, isn’t something that they can necessarily control.

When girls face these pressures and behaviors along with low self-esteem, there is an even bigger issue. These girls may feel that they can’t live up to the expectations that are set for them. So, they try to control other aspects of their life and develop anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Researchers could see the link after tracking how many times these women required hospitalization for eating disorders up until 2002. They recognized that girls whose parents went to college were twice as likely to develop a disorder as fellow students who had parents with a lower level of education. The risk for an eating disorder was six times higher among girls whose maternal grandmothers had earned a college education. Girls also had twice the risk of hospitalization if they had the highest grades in their class rather than the lowest.

Women in general may face greater levels of stress and therefore greater risk. The study doesn’t prove that higher education and school achievement lead to these eating disorders. However, one link the study didn’t address was the fact that many of these highly educated families tend to have more money.

Currently, obesity is linked to lower socioeconomic status. This means that there is also a pressure for these individuals to control their weight. For example, I know a girl from a wealthy family. Even though she and her family are very thin, they go to a fat camp every summer to lose five pounds. Generally the stereotype associated with individuals that are obese or heavy is that they are lazy. So the upper class will do anything to get away from that stigma, which includes hiring personal trainers, constantly dieting, or developing eating disorders.

There is so much pressure out there that girls are facing today. They face pressure from their families, educators, peers, religious leaders, members in their communities, and coaches. When they have highly educated family members, they feel that they have a tremendous responsibility to not let the family down; and that lack of control and pressure can lead them to having an eating disorder.

Many parents don’t know quite how to handle the fact that their children are going to college away from home.  They understand that they will have much less of a presence in their college students life.  On the other hand, college students understand the change and are ready to make it.  They get to be responsible for themselves and get to make their own decisions without getting permission from their parents.

As thousands of students are being dropped off at colleges by their parents, many parents are struggling with the change.  They realize that they have to let go but it might be easier to picture letting them grow up.  Parenting for college students changes, it’s not like parenting a high schooler.  Parenting is no longer an active and daily thing; it’s an "I’m here if you need advice, but I won’t be pushing it on you" type of role.

While parents are dealing with the stress of letting go of their children, they are also worrying about finances.  In this economic recession, families are trying to cope with lost wages and how to send their kids to college.  Last December, a poll done by the Chronicle for Higher Education said that 53 percent of freshmen at four-year-colleges said their parents had concerns about financing their education.

I know that many parents including mine were worried about financing a college education even before the recession and now those worries have been compounded.  Luckily though, many parents had a college nest egg saved up.  For parents that didn’t, their students will be grateful for any help that their parents can give them. 

This is a stressful time for parents, but students can help them get through this difficult time particularly when it comes to letting go.  Students should try to help their parents out by talking to them on the phone, blogging, emailing, and physically visiting them if it is possible.  While students want to live their own lives, it makes the situation easier for everyone if they gradually change the relationship over time.  Students can’t expect their parents to be okay with a once a week brief conversation.  Students need to make time for their parents; otherwise the relationship will wither up over time.

Since states are experiencing budget shortages in the billions, many states have decided to drastically cut college financial aid programs.  Students, who need money the most for college will have to try and find other sources of funding.

At least 12 states are reducing award sizes, eliminating grants, and more rigidly controlling eligibility guidelines.  Even though the states are cutting or winding down these programs there are a greater number of students seeking financial aid. 

Many of the programs that are being affected by these changes are need-based grants that provide money which helps students in addition to financial aid being offered by schools and the federal government.

Illinois is one state that is cutting the funding for a student award program which will affect 145,000 students.  Ohio is eliminating grants up to $2,496 for low-income students and Wisconsin has determined 20,000 low-income students will not be receiving their grants.

Without this cash for rent and groceries, some students will be forced to go into debt, transfer to cheaper schools, or drop out.  Experts are worried that because of the cuts students will take on too much debt or spend even more time working as they pursue their degree.

Since hundreds of thousands of workers are unemployed right now, many of those individuals have decided to pursue their education.  The increase in demand for financial aid and the fact there is limited funding creates a huge problem.  The U.S. Department of Education has reported that roughly 620,000 students applied for federal aid in the first quarter of this year, which is a 25 percent increase over last year.

Not only are loans a problem, but grants are too.  Thousands of students especially low-income students are missing out on their grants, because the programs have run out of money. So in order to continue or finish up their degrees, many have decided to tackle more student loans.  

Currently student loans are at an all time high on an individual basis.  Not only are these debts difficult to pay back, but the high loans could eventually cause a reduction in access to higher education and more students defaulting on their loans.

Students have a tough road ahead and will have to determine whether pursuing an education is worth it right now.  Students can pursue a degree if they wish, but they will have to work diligently not only in school but also at work.  Funding for college is going downhill and students will have to consider other ways to pay for college if they had previously been depending on financial aid.