Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies

Aims: This study aimed to determine the levels of challenges, categorized as peer pressure, time management, parents’ expectations, and self-expectations, and the frequency of coping strategies employed by graduating college students from a higher-education institution in Misamis Occidental during the academic year 2024-2025.

Study Design: This study utilized a quantitative research design.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in one of the Higher Education Institutions in Misamis Occidental.

Methodology: Because this study used a quantitative design, it systematically gathered, analyzed, and interpreted numerical data to describe the challenges graduating college students faced and the coping strategies they employed. Additionally, this study used a survey questionnaire to collect data from 70 graduating college students during the 2024-2025 academic year. The study employed a stratified random sampling technique with equal allocation. The population was stratified according to college affiliation to ensure balanced representation across academic units. A fixed number of ten graduating students per college was selected. Frequency and Percentage Distribution, Weighted Mean, T-test, One-way ANOVA, and Tukey's post hoc test were the statistical tools used in the study.

Results: The study found that respondents experienced moderate challenges related to peer pressure, time management, parents’ high expectations, and self-expectations, suggesting that higher education institutions should provide targeted support programs to help students effectively cope with these challenges. Significant differences were observed in the challenges related to sex. To overcome these challenges, respondents sometimes employed both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies. Additionally, no significant differences in the use of emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies were observed across respondents' demographic profiles. However, among the challenges faced by graduating college students, parents’ high expectations had the highest average, indicating that students felt the greatest pressure from their parents.

Conclusion: Because parents’ high expectations emerged as a major challenge, the study highlights the importance of realistic parental expectations and the role of higher education institutions in strengthening student support systems. These measures may help mitigate student stress and foster healthier academic and relational outcomes.