The Pressure: Early discussions about college lead to an unbearable amount of academic pressure for students

When the alarm clock on my nightstand read 2:30 a.m., I promised myself I could finally take a break from studying my 92 “los verbos importantes” paper notecards for my upcoming third-hour Spanish quiz.

When I woke up the next morning only 20 minutes before school started, I realized I had fallen asleep right before my designated break time. One question crossed my mind…

What is all this work for?

For other students, it might be teacher recognition, a high GPA for participation in sports or simply wanting to gain more knowledge during high school, but for me, there is only one answer — college. It’s what I’ve heard parents, teachers, grandparents, cousins and almost everyone I know talk about since as early as seventh grade.

College has always been a non-negotiable. It’s what I work towards, where I see myself in less than three years and what will set me up for a successful career.

Although many students, including myself, work towards acceptance into college, how far are we willing to push ourselves in high school to get accepted into a “reputable” college?

Even as a sophomore, I’ve always been told the better I do in school now, the better my chances are of getting accepted into a prestigious university. Although that sounds simple enough, it creates a constant feeling of pressure to excel in every class and understand every concept thrown my way.

It’s been continuously drilled into high school students to maintain a 4.0 GPA, have an impressive stack of extracurriculars and to take advanced classes such as honors, IB and AP so we can have a viable chance of getting into an esteemed college. Students wonder where all their time goes during high school but after grades, internships, volunteering, sports and a million other activities, I think we know.

When I started high school, my drive to work hard was initially motivated by the knowledge that it would eventually help me when it came time for college admissions. But as time has passed, the constant academic pressure has started to come more from myself and now it is more of a habit for me to be constantly anxious about school work.

I often find myself thinking of one thing — academic validation. No matter how hard I try to balance studying, projects and homework with my social life, school always comes first. Even if it means giving up activities I love, such as after-school drives, tennis or sleep, academics are always a priority.

As I hear talk of tighter admissions from upperclassmen, I think about how the hard work I’ve put into school so far is only the beginning of the three years ahead of me. I still have AP, IB and other more challenging classes to come. The thought of more work and more complex material is overwhelming.

With the school year just beginning, I’m signing up for new clubs, tutoring and volunteering opportunities to add to my resume. I find myself committing to additional activities only in an effort to boost my credentials for college, even though I have little time or mental capacity to participate in them. At times it even feels disingenuous by creating the appearance of an impressive resume.

While personal academic pressure is becoming more intense, there is also one major outside factor: parental validation. Although my parents support everything I do, my school success will always be one of their top priorities.

As I get older, talking about grades, extracurriculars and college has become a common topic of conversation. Even with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, school is the common denominator in every conversation.

The drive to always be able to say I have all A’s, am involved in school clubs and that I already have college credit are driving factors in my academics. I want my family members to be proud and to know I am successfully preparing for the next steps in my life.

Despite the pressures I’ve already felt this year, I’m striving to find a school-life balance. Although stress is almost guaranteed and perhaps it’s what I need to push for my life goals, too much becomes overbearing. I want to enjoy the next three years of my life while also having the promise of a successful college experience ahead. Parents, teachers and adults of authority should allow students to enjoy their time in school while giving us room to decide about college. With less pressure and stress, we can all excel at our own pace.