High school is a time of immense pressure and stress with college applications right around the corner and interpersonal conflicts interfering with schoolwork, it’s no wonder as to why people have a negative connotation of it. Studies show that 75% of high school students have self-reported negative feelings towards school with feelings of boredom, overwhelmedness, and miserableness (Students’ feelings about high school are mostly negative).
Students are bombarded with the message that their future depends on getting into a good college. This pressure can lead students to believe that they need to take on as many extracurricular activities as possible in order to stand out on their college applications. While it is important to be involved in activities outside of the classroom, it is also important to find a balance. Too much involvement can lead to burnout, and can actually hurt your academic work.
As the daughter of Hispanic immigrants, I’ve had some stressful times with high school, feeling a lot of pressure from my family and classmates to do amazing on every subject and exam. At one point, school stopped being an acceptable place to be at and became a place that worsened my emotional and mental health. I began to get burnout and fell into the dark rabbit hole of depression. To climb out and escape the rabbit hole, I had to seek help, leading to me becoming more occupied with social and extracurricular activities.
Some of you may be wondering what can be included as an extracurricular activity. Well, It’s not as difficult as you may think it is. An extracurricular activity counts as any activity done that is not part of your academic schedule. Some examples would include any clubs, organizations, jobs, family duties, and hobbies that you do in your free time. So, why are extracurricular activities so important?
Well, extracurricular activities are essential and encouraged because extracurricular activities can help out in the college admission process all while being a fun learning experience for students to come out of their comfort zone, build connections with other students, and improve their skills. So with stressful school deadlines, how are students able to have enough time for all of their extracurricular activities and school work?
First of all, you should try to not overwork yourself. If you overwork yourself, you will be prone to developing bad sleeping habits, a toxic work environment, and getting burnout. To prevent overestimating and overworking yourself, you need to create a stable schedule to set boundaries for yourself, get enough sleep, and find time for self-care.
Another important step to balancing your time wisely is to set goals and prioritize them. For example, if you have something due the next day but are working on work from your extracurricular activity that is due by the end of the week, put the extracurricular activity work away and finish the work that is due the next day.
Lastly, you should establish good study skills for your coursework. In order to fully balance out your coursework and extracurricular activities, you need to give enough time to the activities and academics. For instance, if you are failing your history class because you give all of your time to your extracurricular activities, then maybe it’s time to change your schedule to accommodate studying for your history class.
Although high school pressure can cause negative effects on students, students should take extracurricular activities to combat the stress while also building social skills and connecting with other students. In order to have time for school and extracurricular activities, students should set goals, plan out, and prioritize their goals.
Lariat, Baylor. Don’t Overwork Yourself. 20 Oct. 2020, baylorlariat.com/2020/10/19/dont-overwork-yourself/#:%7E:text=Researche rs%20have%20found%20that%20overworking,work%20that%20can%20be %20produced.
“Students’ Feelings About High School Are Mostly Negative.” ScienceDaily, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200130173558.htm. Accessed 5 Sept. 2022. Perkins, By Leigh.
Do Extracurriculars Matter in the College Admissions Process? admissions.usf.edu/blog/do-extracurriculars-matter-in-the-college-admissi ons-process. Accessed 5 Sept. 2022.
Wright, Edward. 7 Tips for Balancing School, Work, and Extracurriculars as a First-Time College Student. learn.neumann.edu/neudirections/7-tips-for-balancing-school-work-and-e xtracurriculars-as-a-first-time-college-student. Accessed 5 Sept. 2022.
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