The rigors associated with college and life, as well as a student’s background, can impact a student’s well-being, motivation, and overall academic performance. This study examines the influence of students' academic backgrounds on their stress, anxiety, and determination in the classroom. Online surveys were distributed to undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University during the Fall 2024 semester. The target population were students of faculty enrolled in a year-long, college-level teaching academy. Convenience sampling procedures yielded 310 usable responses. By analyzing the relationship between academic fields and these factors, we aimed to determine how different academic statuses (e.g., high school graduates, community college transfers) and demographic factors (e.g., rurality of hometown, first-generation status) affect well-being, motivation, and performance. We found that high school graduates and community college transfers have higher anxiety levels than students from other academic backgrounds (e.g., worked or served in the military before enrolling in college). Students with suburban backgrounds have higher stress levels than students with other backgrounds such as urban and rural backgrounds. Surprisingly, first-generation students do not have significantly different levels of anxiety, stress, or self-determination compared to non-first-generation students. These findings provide insights into how academic experiences shape student outcomes, with implications for educational institutions in fostering student success and mental health. We recommend instructors identify groups of students (e.g., high school graduates, community college transfers) in their classrooms who may need more individualized support due to their background and modify their mentoring and teaching strategies accordingly. Through this, instructors could improve students' learning experience and build a more inclusive classroom environment.