Students are handling more than what parents and other people can see. They are juggling school, hobbies, their mental health, extracurriculars and sports. However, the amount of stress students have and all the time it takes to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay on top of all schoolwork is often unconsidered.
“AP classes have definitely been stressful, because the concepts are harder to grasp sometimes. But, as for workload, I’d say that my experience with AP and regular classes have been about the same,” Sage Shah said.
We expect students to make straight A’s and be “academic weapons” all while maintaining a positive attitude, but people don’t consider their mental life and what goes on while they’re not on school grounds. Colleges expect no less than straight A’s from a student to be eligible to attend their school. They expect 28 credits, at least 1 sport, and 3 extracurriculars, often not accounting for the stress this can bring to balance everything. The standards are challenging just to be counted and seen as a “smart” student.
“I’d say yes, especially balancing college applications with school and extracurriculars and a social life has been tricky. Sometimes the hours just fly by after school, but I think there’s a lot of satisfaction in finding that balance and a lot of staying power in knowing that it usually all works out,” Sage Shah said.
Although school may give students a high level of stress, some students think that the number of APs they have is an intellectual challenge, and has made them more mentally durable. This amount of work sets students up for college, and gives them an example of what expectations they have, such as perseverance and hard work.
“Honestly, it’s made me more mentally resilient, because I’ve learned how to balance my extracurriculars and my AP classes,” Shae Staples said.
School is taking over students’ free time– some students are having to spend hours on homework assignments alone. They don’t have enough time to do extra studying, much less have any free time to just unwind. Students who have to maintain school, sports, and extracurriculars have little to no time for relaxation and reset.
“I normally spend two hours, but it has definitely decreased. Also, for studying, I take around an hour studying and overlooking my notes the night before a test or a quiz,” Shae Staples said.