Overburdened, overloaded, overworked: the increase in academic pressure for high school students

BY CORA WILLIAMSON

Didn’t you hear? Exceptional is the new average The students taking advanced placement classes are no longer ahead, and a 4.0 GPA is the norm. There’s been surging demand for students to have more than just rigorous academics to succeed

With a drop in college acceptance rates and a rise in academically outstanding students, the pressure is on for teens to go above and beyond in every aspect of their school careers. There are a lot of public universities that have become increasingly selective, most of them favoring only the top 10% of each class.

It is important to note that colleges aren’t looking for someone who is doing things just to check the boxes. They are looking for well-rounded personalities that will add something special to the school's student life.

“For the interview part, we don't know any of their grades, their test scores, or any of their activities. We don't know any of those nuts and bolts What we're trying to find out is their level of commitment to their various interests and pursuits, their level of passion or motivation,” Jane Hall, an ambassador for Duke's admissions office, remarked.

In 2016, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill had a 26.9% acceptance rate, which has decreased to a concerning 17 7% as of 2022 In more prestigious schools such as Duke, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Vanderbuilt, there were percentage changes as large as -59% between 2014 and 2024

With such stress-inducing statistics, students around the nation have increased their AP course load, some taking as many as eight a year.

“I don't want to take something I'm not interested in But now I'm like, if I had done that, I would have had a higher GPA, even if I wasn't interested. So it's weird... There's definitely pressure to take classes you don't want to take,” Norah Lubeck, a junior at Riverside High School, expressed.

PHOTO CREDIT: ANONYMOUS

This DSA junior is taking 5 AP courses this year. There are only seven class periods in a DSA student's schedule, meaning over half of his course load is college-level work.

Lubeck is one of the many students that go the extra mile and still feel behind in the race; going into her junior year, she is taking eight AP classes and three community college classes Yet she still feels that because she chose electives of interest in freshman year like photography and psychology instead of AP electives, she’s fallen below her peers

“I do have good support, but I also would say it could be better because, for example, right now, I'm in the house all alone, and I can't get outside, I can't go and do things,” Jaydon Jones, a DSA senior, commented.

According to statistics from Mental Health America, more than 4 million high school students experienced a depressive episode in 2022, and over 2.7 million high school students are experiencing severe depressive disorders Balancing a social life, impressive academics, outside achievements, and sports, while experiencing hormonal imbalance is a lethal combination, and yet, it’s the expectation.

“Thinking forward, I want to go to college, and I have no idea if what I have right now is good enough to get me into a college I want to go into, especially compared to people who may be at the top of the class,” Lubeck shared.

A large contributor to the weight burdening students is the ambiguity of what colleges are looking for It’s often drilled into young minds that they need to be ahead in STEM courses, participating in at least one sport, earning some sort of leadership spot and volunteering, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. But depending on the college, some may not accept certain AP credits, and being in too many extracurriculars can be seen as noncommittal.

“The pressure comes from all sides, and you have no idea if what you’re doing is enough. And you just gotta keep doing more, even if it’s brainless work,” Lubeck concluded