Millennials aren't ready for the 'reality of life' and suffer from panic attacks and anxiety problems, new research has revealed.

A study of 2,000 young people preparing to start university found that many aren't ready for the challenges of living independently.

The research found that more than half of prospective students don't know how to pay a bill and that many believe that nights out cost more than paying rent.

Researchers said that many would-be students have been left worried and confused by the prospect of leaving home to start higher education.

The study found 61 per cent of millennials are anxious about the prospect of starting university, while 58 per cent are having trouble sleeping and 27 per cent are having panic attacks.

Millennials aren't ready for the 'reality of life' and suffer from panic attacks and anxiety problems, new research has revealed

CASUAL SEX IS MAKING COLLEGE STUDENTS ANXIOUS A previous study from California State University found that young people who have casual sex are more likely to suffer from depression. The experts found higher levels of general anxiety, social anxiety and depression among students who recently had sex with someone they knew for less than a week. In a study involving 3,900 heterosexual students, 11 percent - the majority of whom were men - said they had engaged in casual sex in the past month and had these symptoms. Previous studies have found that women respond more negatively to casual sex than men, possibly because of double standards that allow men to have more sexual encounters with a greater number of partners than women. Advertisement

Students are worryingly unprepared

Researchers said the results suggest many would-be students are worryingly unaware of the challenges of university life.

The poll found that 60 per cent of prospective students believed that they would spend more time in lectures than they did in school lessons.

But in practice, most university subjects take up much less time than school, with students on degree courses such as history often having fewer than ten hours of lectures a week.

And while many participants considered themselves to be good with money, more than half admitted that they do not know how to pay a bill.

Many students were also unaware that paying rent is the biggest cost for students after tuition fees.

Confusion over finances

When asked about their finances, only half of prospective students correctly identified accommodation as their biggest expenditure.

Other participants said they believed their biggest expense after tuition fees would be 'nights out', 'student societies', 'groceries' or 'course materials'.

The study found 61 per cent of millennials are anxious about the prospect of starting university, while 27 per cent are having panic attacks

Researchers have warned that the prospect of leaving home has left ill-prepared millennials feeling anxious and panicked.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), who carried out the new research with student accommodation provider Unite Students, told the BBC that more needed to be done to help students adjust to university.

'Fixing the gap' between school and university

'We know lots about what students think but very little about what those applying to higher education expect to happen when they get there,' said Mr Hillman.

'We set out to fix this gap because people who expect a different student experience to the one they get are less satisfied, learn less and say they are getting less good value for money.'

The research also found that many would-be students with mental health problems aren't planning on informing their university of their condition.

Only one third of prospective students intend to tell their university about an existing mental health problem, raising concerns that institutions will be unable to properly prepare for treatment demands.