Student project: Juggling responsibilities puts pressure on Columbus high school juniors

The struggle, pressure and stress for students to maintain their grades in school is amping up as college applications are on their minds.

Current high school juniors are feeling pressure to take an excess number of difficult classes, maintain a high standard of grades, get into a top school and deal with the stress, all while just being teenagers, according to students. Students also feel that if they aren't overly achieving in high school, they will not be successful in the future.

It is evident that juniors are experiencing the most challenging time since the beginning of high school, with the pressure of college applications and difficult classes.

Junior Eliana Baryluk of Upper Arlington High School says she feels that she needs to "take more advanced classes instead of easier classes" because she thinks she should be challenging herself if she wants to get into her "dream school" — Denison University.

She also stated that her older siblings have set high expectations for her, and she feels that if she can’t live up to these expectations, she has not succeeded.

Currently, some juniors are overloading their schedules with Advanced Placement classes, or AP classes, and International Baccalaureate classes, which are two-year extensive and meticulous pre-college classes leading to an IB diploma.

IB classes are "designed to educate students from a global perspective," according to The Ohio State University. These rigorous classes are often taken by students in hopes of moving on to a prestigious university.

While these classes look good to colleges, they require lots of work and time.

"The average student has 17.5 hours of homework per week, and when taking honors or advanced courses, the level of difficulty increases and causes more time to be spent studying," according to The BFA Mercury, a student newspaper in Vermont.

Students are feeling consumed by their workload, and the stress continues to build.

Another junior, Soledad Reyes of Fort Hayes High School, mentioned she is taking three AP classes and feels the stress from the "huge workload."

She dreams of being accepted into New York University and is worried about the upcoming SAT. She explains that if she wants to perform well on the test, she "has to make time even if (she) has no time" otherwise it just won't happen.

Reyes also adds that she "has felt pressure from a very young age" to do well in school, and finds it humorous how students "can’t buy alcohol until (they're) 21, but are forced to make a huge decision about college and the rest of (their) lives at 17 and 18 years old."

Even then, students are worried that they will make the wrong decision.

By making these big decisions at such a young age, teenagers are determining where they will live and what they will do for work, and that's a lot of pressure for teenagers who still may not even have their licenses.

While students feel pressure to succeed, it is important to take care of yourself and focus on things you enjoy, while also giving school your best effort.

"Things like getting enough sleep, exercising, eating healthy, and breathing deeply can help ease everyday stress," according to KidsHealth. "But if your stress feels too strong, happens too often, or feels like more than you can handle, talk with a trusted adult to get help and support."

Abbey Murphy is a student at Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School. This piece was written for Columbus Journalists in Training, a program sponsored by the Columbus Dispatch and Society of Professional Journalists Central Ohio Pro-Chapter for Columbus City Schools students. Abbey was a member of team UJCKT.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Student project: Columbus junior students feel pressure to succeed