As time progresses, the importance of a college degree becomes increasingly valuable.  Many high school students not only recognize that a college degree will give them an advantage in life, but they also realize that they are in an intense competition for select university spots.

“Obviously, getting a college degree will help you get a job after graduation.  Because the value of a higher education has been acknowledged and accepted, the competition to get into college has increased,” said Andrew Billings, junior.

The competition to get accepted into college plays an important role in high school achievement.  For some students, the competition motivates them to pursue excellence in their studies. These students push themselves to work harder in order to be at the top of their high school classes.

“Colleges are asking more and more of students.  Sometimes, it can even be too much to juggle,” said Jillian Bridges, junior.  “It is also a good thing because it keeps the value of a college degree meaning something.  If everyone got accepted, a college degree would become too average and ordinary.”

High school competition can also lead students to challenge themselves in ways that they never would have done individually.  Initially, students might take part in certain classes and clubs just to keep up with their peers, but sometimes the motivation due to peer pressure helps students find a “track” or course of study that they really enjoy.

Academic competition can also lead to fear, anxiety and disappointment.  Students are aware of the fact that they are ranked and compared to their classmates and peers based on their grades and strength of schedules.  As a result, some students feel pressured to take more advanced courses than the classes that would better suit their intellectual capabilities.  This peer pressure can lead to unhealthy levels of stress in high school students.

“I know what kind of classes my friends are taking and I realize that in order to keep up, I have to take advanced courses, too.  They do well and that makes me want to do well, and that isn’t necessarily going to happen by slacking off in easy classes,” said Bridges.

Not only do students tend to overload themselves with advanced classes but they also take part in multiple extracurricular activities to build the “perfect” college applications.

“Knowing that I am competing against my classmates and peers motivates me to do other activities outside of school because I know it isn’t going to be enough to just get the grades,” said Billings.

Although the involvement in clubs and extracurricular groups looks appealing to college admissions, over-scheduling is a common cause of burnout and unnecessary stress.  Many admissions officers would rather see commitment to and leadership in a few clubs than small memberships in multiple extracurriculars.

“Colleges look at quality over quantity.  The admissions officers would rather see positions of leadership rather than multiple memberships because it shows a different level of dedication,” said Bridges. “ They like well-rounded students, so I make sure that I do things that make me happy but also show colleges what they need to see.”

Students are also able to take placement tests, such as the SAT and ACT, multiple times in order to ensure satisfactory scores.  This allows students to submit scores that are a better representation of their academic progress.  Most colleges will even super-score tests to give students the benefit of the doubt.  This advantage, in addition to the surplus of review classes and prep courses, brings the value of these tests down.  Since more students are obtaining qualifying scores, more weight is applied to the unique activities that help define individual personalities.  On top of maintaining high grades, the pressure to be involved in the “right” activities can surely overwhelm some high school students.

“Aside from the standardized testing, rigorous coursework and grades, students must develop their personality’s unique dimensions, if they want to get into the elite schools.  They need to speak French, play the sitar, volunteer to clean up their local rivers, play on the school’s soccer team and hold a position in the student government, on top of high grades and test scores,” said Lindsey Cook of the U.S. News and World Report.

In the end, most of the pressure that affects high school students is caused by the competition that is driven by the perceived expectations of their peers.  Students have been seen to stress out about taking all the “right” classes and join all the “right” clubs in order to build an acceptable application that is sure to win over the college admissions officers.

“I realize that my academic and social life will be strongly considered when I apply to colleges, but the main reason I do band and soccer is because I enjoy it,” said Bridges.  “I’m going to do what I like and if it also looks good on an application that’s a great bonus.”