An exhausted and worn out student makes their way through the hallways with their head down, preparing themselves for another stressful AP class. The only thought that runs through their apprehensive mind is how they did on their previous AP calculus exam. The same one they spent the whole previous night studying for. Their distress starts to worsen as the most anticipated concern crosses through their mind. “What if I won’t get into a good college?” They feel their battery draining slowly and their heart shaking in fear. They find themselves seated in their next class envisioning them in the future, going through rejection letters.
At a high school whose academic culture revolves around the urge to build your life around acceptance into a prestigious college, students are losing sight of their present. People are often too centered on their applications. So much so that they completely ignore the importance of taking up hobbies or extracurricular activities because they have an actual interest in it. On school events like club days, the only thing I hear is how students are participating in overly laborious activities, solely because it will shine on their applications.
This mindset is consuming and exhausting for students who are entering high school with confusion on what to pursue. Before they get any time to comprehend how they are going to tackle the next four years, they get this sudden push of college approaching them. This erroneous principle of college being more crucial compared to high school, has solidified and now became a part of the very prominent culture at this school.
“A lot of people care too much about college and they just don’t have fun during their high school years. It’s mostly just homework and tests that they focus on.” says sophomore Tapasya Kohli.
Peer pressure plays an enormous part in this. Some students aim for classes that they are not mentally prepared to handle, merely because their friends put down the same one on their course application sheet. The abundance of students taking accelerated college courses has rapidly increased every year because of this very reason. Before deciding on a class, students don’t question if they will be capable of succeeding. They think of how much their gpa will get boosted by. Many students have the belief that their golden perfect GPA and ideal grades will grant them admission into an exemplary university.
The goal of thousands of students is to achieve valuable accomplishments in their lifetime and
many see acceptance into a renowned college as their sole pathway to success. They believe that the college experience will bring along an abundance of extraordinary opportunities. But what many do not realize is that you could earn great success through high school as well. Many prominent inventors, creators and big names have established themselves without ever stepping foot in an elite college.
Moreover, students tend to believe that the freedom and exposure attending college brings, cannot be found elsewhere. They dedicate all their time in high school to academics, thinking that it’s just a few more years of suffering and then their life is set. This whole ideology is beyond inaccurate. While you may be able to explore yourself and your passion, you are also missing out on the experience that high school offers.
Many students chose not to attend exciting school events, like homecoming, rallies, football games and other socials because they view it as a waste of time. The pressure that comes from taking multiple strenuous honors and AP courses, often destroys the mental health of many. People spend more time struggling through adversities in each of their classes and lose control of their social life. Friends and the enjoyment of their teenage years becomes insignificant, because otherwise they would be falling behind.
When asked if she ever had to sacrifice school events to study, senior Rishika Kohli says “Yes, many times. Friday nights there’s football games where you should have fun and chill but a lot of times I’ll stay in and study for a test that’s on the following Monday or the following Tuesday. Sometimes, I even skip the rallies if I’m too overwhelmed.”
If failure and acceptance is a major part of life, then why are we so hard on ourselves? Why are we constantly pushing ourselves to pave the way for the future when the present is still undecided? As a school, we should be creating a less demanding school atmosphere. College should still remain a priority for students entering high school, but it should not be their only motive in life.
As Aitzaz Ahsan, a renowned Pakistani politician and lawyer once said, “The most important time in life is the present.” At this point of your education, your main focus should be what you are doing now. Instead of worrying about taking the wrong extracurricular activities and ap classes, take whatever best matches your interests and is of your capability. Teenage years are one of the most crucial years and should not be spent under constant mental pressure and tension. Wherever you decide to attend college, you will remain successful nonetheless.
