Due to the stress of getting good grades and being accepted into college, students are feeling an increase in academic pressure and finding ways around their stress.
According to sophomore Andrea Flores, there has been a recent increase in academic pressure because more students desire to seek higher education after high school, creating more competition for students throughout their highschool careers.
To get accepted into college, students believe they must have grades to help them stand out.
“I feel like it has been ingrained in our minds since elementary school that getting an A is really good and B’s are fine,” senior Camile Schwabe said. “There’s so much pressure that you have to be perfect, and if you want to go to college you have to do well.”
Though grades are an important part of getting into college, according to senior Devesh Bungatavula, colleges will look at standardized test scores, GPA, extracurriculars, essays and your community activity in order to compare you to other students applying to a school.
“[This] puts a lot of pressure on me to be a certain candidate in order to get into college which [causes] a lot of stress,” Bungatavula said.
Along with being accepted into college, students feel pressure because of the competition to get scholarships.
“I want to get into a good college, and college is very expensive, so scholarships are really important,” sophomore Anya Patel said.
Though Patel finds herself feeling pressure surrounding school, she advises other students to take their school work “day-by-day” and to remember it is ok to get a bad grade once in a while.
“I [try] my best to earn good grades and that is what matters,” Patel said. “No one is perfect and that’s ok.”
Though they find getting good grades to be rewarding, both Schwabe and Flores agree that students’ mental health should come before their school work.
“I don’t think it’s worth sacrificing your mental health to do well on a test,” Schwabe said, “and it’s not worth staying up until 2 a.m. or crying before you come into school and take a test.”
Along with prioritizing your mental health, Flores said talking to a professional can be beneficial to those who feel they are struggling with school.
“Talk with other people because then you feel less alone. I feel like everyone in the school feels pressure to do well, and feeling heard is really nice,” Flores said.
According to Bungatavula, though mental health should be discussed with a professional, finding a fun hobby can be a good way to destress at the end of the day.
“Make sure you have something you really enjoy doing, and make sure you give yourself time to do that almost every day,” Bungatavula said. “No matter what you’re doing, make sure it’s for fun.”
Bungatavula makes sure to make time to watch TV every day as a way to destress and take his mind off the stress of the school day.