Texan Mosaic

by VANESSA DELGADO//Staff Writer

Many high school students are consumed with stress, too much stress.

There is so much expected of them, and not enough time in the day to accomplish everything.

High school has become a constant competition. Students compete to get the best grades and be at the top of their class. It is a great honor to be deemed valedictorian but very difficult to do so. In my graduating class, my valedictorian had close to a 110 grade-point average on a 100-point scale. This shows how difficult being at the top of your class can be.

Many students want to be accepted into very prestigious colleges, and the competition is extremely aggressive. Scholarships are highly sought after, so there are not enough to go around.

With the cost of tuition rising, scholarships are a saving grace for many students. That is why many students strive to accomplish as much as possible to improve their chances. At my high school, the top 10 percent of my class had a 4.0 grade-point average or higher. Even if you had a 3.9, you were not considered to be in the prestigious top of your class. Many colleges accept or decline your application based on your SAT and ACT scores. This is a test that normally does not take place at your high school. Many students strive for success, but they fall short of their expectations when faced with reality.

High school students basically have to be able to do three things at once just to avoid complications later. There is not nearly enough time in the day for a student to get eight hours of sleep, go to school all day, stay late for practice, go to work, do homework, and start the process all over again.

High school is supposed to be the “best years of your life,” but most students can’t maintain a normal social life because all their energy is focused on school and everything related to it. Teachers say that you need to start focusing on colleges and scholarships during senior year. But the truth is that students worry from the moment they step through those doors for freshman year. Anything they do from that moment on will affect their future.

Even in high school, extracurricular activities are highly competitive. They do have good attributes, such as team building and spiritual and physical growth. Participating in these activities can also induce more stress for the students. Even though it undoubtedly has benefits, it can also take away from the student’s time for schoolwork.

High school is known to have cliques or stereotypical groups of friends. This can also be stressful, as many do not always get along.

Many students outside of school have jobs, whether it is to help their parents or to have extra money. It takes time away from focusing on school and getting enough sleep.

Parents want their children to succeed in school and unknowingly add more pressure. Many students are now taking on the challenge of college-level courses while still in high school. Education is very important, but so are building relationships and experiencing the real world.