Staff Editorial

Classes, tests, quizzes, sports and a social life all fall on the shoulders of a high school student, but sometimes the stress is too much to bear.

The goal of a perfect GPA plus a well-rounded life-style is what high school students strive for, yet from the ages of 14 to 18 years, there is only so much that teens can do.
The topics discussed in the hallways and cafeteria focus on whether or not the next day will follow Red or Blue Schedule classes, followed by jubilant cries of those students whose schedules are less packed with academics.

Almost two thirds of girls in high school believe that the amount of free time they have is “too little” or “not nearly enough,” according to clinical psychologist Roni Cohen-Sandler, Ph.D. Girls in general report far more school-related stress than boys do because they believe that to be successful, they have to be extraordinary in every area of their lives: academic, social, extracurricular and appearance.

Stress is added on when students pick up more extracurriculars, a way to stand out towards colleges and when a student becomes a senior, the pressure builds on her to finish applications.

The application process is made easier with colleges that use one application such as the Common Application, University of California and California State University applications — using the same main format when applying to several schools.

Cohen-Sandler says that although all teens report being burdened by too much homework and tests, girls are 55 percent more likely than boys to say they pressure themselves to get good grades and do well in school.

For some students when the pressure builds up she begins to procrastinate even more, in denial that she has that much homework but then rushes during her free period, lunch and Passing Period to complete it.

A student needs to know her perfect balance between social, academic, extracurricular life and the amount of stress that she can handle, otherwise she needs to take more off of her plate.