The world today is filled with many unique and dedicated people, and high schools are no different. Today, high schools are filled with future astrophysicists and future multinational business owners. However, while these youths are brilliant and talented, the question is: why? Why has society told young adults that they must have their lives figured out by 18?
The college admissions process expects students to know exactly what they are passionate about, rather than wanting to teach students about learning and growth. Among high-achieving, college-bound students, the increasing pressure to be the best and to do the best has been incredibly harmful, although the harm may not be immediately apparent. Social pressure forces students to grow faster and creates structures for youth wherein the first 20 years of their lives are the most consequential.
I attend a seemingly regular high school; however, our incredibly high-achieving students are what set us apart. We are a high school that has at least 40 National Merit scholars a year. The ranking system facilitates extreme amounts of stress and fear in students and student researchers. While I love my school and how it pushes us to strive and reach for the stars, it made me think. I asked myself, “Why is it that we as a generation are facing these pressures? Is it only us, or did our parents, or even our grandparents, experience this?” These essential questions set me on a path to research the generational trends in college preparation during high school—beliefs about the importance of the high school experience, preparing oneself for college, a successful future, and perceived personal as well as emotional well-being during high school.
We should ask why these pressures have become prevalent in today’s society, why our psyches have made this shift, and when did society change to adopt these ideals. In order to investigate this, I created a survey during the summer of 2024. It was hypothesized that, compared to high schoolers in past generations, current high school students would report higher pressure and expectations about college admissions, more extreme beliefs about the importance of the high school experience, and greater experiences of college-related stress. The survey was completely anonymous, asking participants to report on pure numerical statistics like the American College Testing (ACT), National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT/PSAT), and grade point average (GPA). It also included questions pertaining to social and emotional stress levels during high school. These questions were asked to see if there were any trends among the generations regarding their beliefs and statistics.
One question in particular that directly connects with the hypothesis was, “The belief that today’s youth are more stressed about college than in the past.” Unfortunately, a majority of the participants (85.59%) agreed or strongly agreed with this question. While as a researcher, it is rewarding to see a hypothesis be supported, as a student, it is heartbreaking to see and experience these pressures. Students and non-students agree and face this problem, but no one knows how to mitigate its effects, especially in high-achieving and rigorous environments.
This study, like many others, did have its limitations. One of the biggest ones is its scope. Due to the nature of this research project, it was difficult to obtain a large network of participants. This project was made in conjunction with the Lumiere Individual Research Program, which had timelines in place. To receive the data on time, we were compelled to just take as many people as we could and exclude participants who fell outside a certain scope. That is why in a few of the demographic statistics, we see a higher percentage of participants from the southwest or more caucasian/white and South Asian participants. Another limitation was the way participants were acquired. As mentioned in the demographic section, participants were brought in by family and friends. This hurt the integrity (anonymity) of the survey and most likely skewed the responses received. Another important thing to note is that due to the way we received our participants, many of the responses may have come from students who are from more high-achieving or more affluent and secure backgrounds.
Future researchers should attempt to limit the scope of their work to maintain integrity as well as attempt to include as many people as possible. Private interviews could be a fantastic mechanism to not only interpret data reported through charts but also hear and visualize how participants respond to some of these questions. Despite the limitations, the study overwhelmingly shows that the 21st-century American student is exposed to an increased amount of societal expectations than before.
In conclusion, being a student in the 21st century has highlighted the unique social pressures that we as a generation face. There is an increased level of competition and stress, and it is up to us to mitigate these harms. One way of doing this is by internalizing the idea that our best is our best ,and as long as we continue to strive and work hard, then that is all we can ask of ourselves. When we internalize this mindset, we place less pressure on ourselves. No one is perfect, not even on the millionth try; however, that is why it is important to work hard and do our best, because that is the only thing in our control. “Perfect is not an important final destination. Instead, the pit stops you make on the journey to hard work are the most significant.”
Citations:
Mocharla, R. (2024). Opinions on the high school & college experience [Online survey]. Google Forms. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VMbDJzEfbiDVrlXmTGFpZkMXnNzrZcEoTCxPbkRAQTQ
