By Kaia Costa
Are you thinking about the SAT right now? Are you counting down the months until May for that daunting AP test? When’s the last time you calculated your cumulative, weighted, and unweighted GPA? Realistically, aren’t we all caught up in these contingencies every day? Once we take a step back from all the sports, clubs, classes, jobs, volunteer hours, and extracurriculars, you have to stop and ask yourself: Are students actually enjoying high school, or are they frantically preparing for the next four years?
The unfortunate truth is, pressure to build the “perfect” college application can cause students to lose sight of what high school is supposed to be about—learning, friendships, discovering interests, and enjoying experiences. Although ambition and healthy academic pressure can still motivate students to succeed, there is a fine line between being ambitious and overworked.
As a junior myself, I am obsessed with the idea of getting into my dream college, and as much as I would like to say I have a healthy balance between my hobbies, social life, and academics, I often ask myself if I’m doing enough to impress those admissions boards next year.
I am surrounded by a multitude of students who struggle between choosing the classes they’re interested in, or classes that would impress a college admissions officer. What’s unfortunate is those things really do matter. Developing that college resume begins the second you hit your teenage years. Activities that should be enjoyable can become another form of competition. Students may stop asking, “Do I like this?” and start asking, “Will colleges like this?” Studies show that within the last 15 years, rates of depression increased by more than 60 percent among kids 14-17 years old. “Experts believe the pressure of getting into an elite school can add to a child’s anxiety or depression.” (San Francisco Examiner)
Arguably, one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of high school is recognizing that failure is a part of the journey. Yet, the competitive nature of elite universities can change students’ relationship with academics. A low test score can feel like more than just one bad grade—it can feel like a threat to their future. Education has increasingly focused on getting students into college and making them “college ready.” Instead of preparing students for adulthood and independence, high school often prioritizes academic skills meant to prepare them for the next step in their education (Heterodox Academy). The funny thing about high school is, everyone has a different path that they’re preparing themselves for. Then why is the system so centralized around memorization, performance, and competition, when it should really emphasize work ethic, preparation, and various life skills.
So really, does the pressure to get into college ruin high school? It doesn’t have to. But when college admissions become the reason behind every decision, and is a frequent topic on the backburner of all teenagers’ minds, they can take away from the experience students are working so hard to preserve. If I could give one piece of advice to my fellow overachievers out there, work toward the future, but don’t become so focused on getting into college that you forget to actually live the life you’re trying to build a future for.