What is high school about now? Get involved, do everything you can, the more you do the better college you will get into. Putting so much on our plates causes a lot of stress.  Why do I have to participate in so many extra-curricular activities if most of them are not relevant to what I will pursue in college?

Sometimes I see myself doing extra-curricular activities only because they would look good on my college application and not because I am actually interested. Why do we have to be involved in everything at high school, but then all of a sudden, transition into deciding our one main focus for college? Why can’t there be a balance in which we are happily ready for college as well as successful in high school without being highly stressed?

As students, we are overwhelmed by all the activities that we are involved in to please colleges. A study was conducted that showed that about half of all students are stressed. The article for the Atlantic states, “Between the homework required for Advanced Placement classes, sports practices, extracurricular activities like music and student government, and SAT prep, the fortunate kids who have access to these opportunities don’t have much downtime these days. These experiences can cause kids to burn out by the time they get to college, or to feel the psychological and physical effects of stress for much of their adult lives, says Marya Gwadz, a senior research scientist at the New York University College of Nursing.”

Research clearly shows that the stress of getting involved in high school extremely affects the students and wears away their abilities by the time they attend college. When we try to manage everything at once, we get stressed out and anxious, but we still feel a need to keep doing more.

Raychelle Cassada Lohmann MS, LPCS states in Psychology Today, “There are simply not enough minutes in the day to get everything done.  So, they [high school students] react by cutting into important times such as social interaction and sleep.  Our fast-paced, fast food, society is taking its toll on our teen generation.”

It is important to consider that while colleges want us to keep doing more, we feel obligated to do it, even if it means getting less sleep. Mrs. McPherson, a Ripon High School teacher, has seen the effects of college pressure on her students.

“I think it stresses them way too much, there’s too much going on, and colleges put way too much pressure on them for something that is not needed,” McPherson stated.

At times, students see them involved in so many activities that they are unaware of what their strengths are or what they enjoy the most. I believe that the only activities that are helpful are the ones that you enjoy. If you spend time enjoying what interests you in high school, rather than stressing out while doing everything you possibly can, you will be able to successfully pursue your focus in college and accomplish your goals.

Through McPherson’s experience, she has seen the negative side effects of the stress caused from college pressure. “What they’re looking for is that you’re well-rounded, but I believe that doing things just because is not good. You do need to pick and choose. You should focus on something that means something to you.”