By: Beatrice Plescia
“Take as many AP classes as you can.” “Get a leadership role and join clubs.” “Earn volunteer hours and get a job.” As a sophomore preparing for junior year, the pressure of college is beginning to creep up behind me. There is so much to do to be a competitive applicant.
The pressure of my college application really starts next year when I will take the PSAT and my grades will be the most important. Everything matters.
One of the biggest choices I have made was my junior year course selection. Taking
either six or seven classes and debating how many APs I should take felt like huge decisions. I was unsure if I should take popular science courses like AP Environmental Science and if it would be weird to join new electives like Leadership. I was very confused and felt overwhelmed with the options. I felt like every class needed to line up exactly with what I wanted to do in the future.
As I searched for resources to help me, I looked back to my freshman year when I was first introduced to the college application process: College and Career Readiness. As early as your first semester of high school, you are hit with the stress of college. What used to be a process that started senior year now begins much earlier.
“Being involved in so many things is great, but it still feels like a constant pressure is weighing on me.”
Beatrice Plescia
This can cause long-term stress from years of college pressure at such a young age.
With colleges getting more and more selective, especially in California, many students participate in activities to put on their applications. I feel likeI need to be doing more and
more to stand out. No matter how well I am doing in my classes or sports, nothing I do feels like enough.
I play three sports that I loved this year and joined two clubs. Being co-captain of the JV soccer and lacrosse teams is something I am proud of. Being involved in so many things is great, but it still feels like a constant pressure is weighing on me. There is always something to memorize, a practice to go to, a test to study for, or an assignment to finish. Between extra conditioning for soccer and learning more about objections for Mock Trial, any free time I previously had went out the window. Old priorities of getting eight hours of sleep and taking time for myself seemed less important than studying for a unit test.
If this was sophomore year, how am I going to be able to manage junior year? I have to regularly remind myself that I should be enjoying my high school experience.
It’s important to be present and remember that college is still two years away. I am working to appreciate where I am now and look forward to the future because I know it’s important for my mental health. We all should try to focus on the current moment and remember that stressing out about the future is not going to change it.
