By Katharine Tan
In Wayland, where the high school experience focuses on preparation for college, a student can feel like they’re being thrown into the circus. With each of our moves under a glaring spotlight, we’re expected to juggle as much as we possibly can and as best we can to see if, just maybe, we can impress the audience. Inside the classroom, we’re confronted with the looming sense of permanence that attaches itself to our academic performance. Knowing that by the end of high school, a record of it will be sent to and analyzed by colleges can easily become very controlling in the life of a high school student.
As a student, I’ve certainly consumed my fair share of late nights buried behind a computer screen or in page after page of practice problems, hoping that it might be enough to get the “A.” It’s not hard to lose myself down the rabbit hole of believing that every little grade factors into my final grade, which will contribute to the college I attend.
As I create my class schedule for next year, the thought of college continues to weigh heavily on my choices. Do I take the class that seems more enjoyable, or do I go with the one that will better demonstrate my academic ability to admissions officers? Although I find myself leaning towards the more rigorous option, I wonder if I may eventually come to regret missing the chance to explore. Hearing other students discuss their own senior year schedules, the fear of falling behind has crept up on me a bit. If those around me are already at the point where they are packing three science classes into one year’s schedule, certain that they are destined to be a doctor, why am I not there as well? Without a specific area of interest, I feel too uncertain to commit to a focused curriculum, an internship, or a passion project–phrases that seem to have become “green flags” in an applicant.
When they can find free time, many students rush to fill those vacant hours with activities. But it seems that just having any activity is often not enough for the ultra-competitive schools who see so many applicants doing all the same things, so students are pressured to do more. They are pressured to find opportunities for leadership to demonstrate initiative, showing that they are willing to go beyond simply what is required of them.
While I agree that it’s great to be exploring potential areas of interest in high school and taking leaps that push us beyond our comfort zones, we’ve reached the point where many students are taking these actions out of a sense of obligation instead of passion. Rather than hearing students saying that they “want” an internship, I hear them saying that they “need” one. In fact, I even hear it coming from myself at times, as we near college application season, we’re all running to catch up with one another.
With college being something that is often closely tied to the identities of those around us, the drive to get into a particular school can grow into quite the sizable burden. But as this obligation has grown over me this past year, I’ve actually been forced to take a step back and think more about the necessity of finding balance. Working hard and doing what I can to make yourself a great applicant doesn’t need to be mutually exclusive. There’s no need to get so trapped inside this competitive bubble that the thought of college dominates nearly every thought and action. Some things I simply have to do for fun, not for college.
