ahead of the curve

The problem with setting a standard of overachievment for high schoolers

By Bella Soyfer COPY EDITOR

Today, the culture of pressuring high school students to overachieve beyond their capabilities is at a peak, but how is this affecting students themselves? When teenagers see others getting accepted into their dream universities, those people often have extremely shiny resumes. These usually include perfect SAT or ACT scores, as well as tons of extracurricular activities and records of excellent community service. When this is the example set for people trying to achieve their dreams, it is very overwhelming and it can feel impossible and for many, it is. Unless someone’s entire life revolves around building the perfect application, most teens don’t have the time to stretch themselves across sports, work and AP classes while excelling in all of it. Eventually, this kind of lifestyle can lead to mental health problems.

These issues are very common in adolescents already, with one in four teens being diagnosed with a mental health condition, according to the National Alliance of Mental Health.

Another problem with setting overachievement as the standard is that not all teens have the opportunity or ability to participate in all the recommended activities. Many of these things, like playing sports, cost money and not everyone can afford it. Someone’s family or living situation may also prevent them from being able to dedicate much time to extracurriculars. They may have a sick family member that needs care, or they live somewhere that does not have easy access to volunteer or job opportunities.

On the topic of mental health of students, another prevalent issue is maladaptive perfectionism. Described by Psychology Today, Maladaptive perfectionism is when students set unrealistic expectations for themselves and struggle to accept anything less than perfection in their academics, often comparing themselves to other high achieving peers in competitive environments. This leads to a conversation on the issue of students placing their self worth on academic achievement which is often fostered, intentionally or not, by parents. There is nothing wrong with encouraging kids to thrive, until it becomes a burden rather than an inspiration. This pressure also comes from society, where not being advanced in all areas can be seen as “lazy” and being average is no longer acceptable.

Young people face pressure from all around them, and the expectation is only growing. This is why adults need to realize that high schoolers are still children, and forcing them to spend their teenage years trying to put together the perfect college application will only have negative repercussions on their health and happiness.