Applying for college marks a pivotal point for many high school students, but it can create loads of pressure and stress through one’s own expectations of a desired outcome. The impacts of the college process on student mental, emotional, and physical health can often begin earlier than filling out actual applications, especially with the prospect of college looming over all high school students’ heads.
Even though I’m only a high school sophomore, these feelings of pressure aren’t foreign to me. I find myself getting caught up in my own expectations of how I should perform. Every low grade on a test, every tennis match lost, or even every minor mistake can seem like the end of the world to me. This constant pressure can not only build up stress and anxiety, but it can also contribute to a decline in mental health and one’s perception of self-worth.
For me, this pressure does not arise solely from self-perceptions of how I think I should operate, but also the competitive environment that exists around me. Having an older brother who is a high school senior, I’ve seen him go through the arduous process of applying for college over the course of a year. The stress that goes along with it, the time and energy, the constant worrying that something will go wrong.
These pressures and stresses are also not only dependent on familial or self-perceptions. Both a competitive school environment and seemingly increasingly cutthroat expectations from colleges, often shaped by social media, have contributed to greater anxiety for the transition into the college process, both for me and for many peers.
Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in recent years have indicated a rise in sadness in high school students, with 40% of students reporting persistent feelings of hopelessness or depression, and about one-third reporting poor mental health in 2023.
Of course, there are a variety of factors that could contribute to this drastic figure. Balancing academic and extracurricular workloads, consistent exposure to social media, and relationships with others are all possible and completely valid reasons. However, what directly heightens the effects of all of these reasons goes back to the basics: teenage puberty.
While puberty for most begins much earlier than high school years, with hormonal changes starting around ages 10-13, the growth and development of both the brain and hormones don’t typically settle until the 20s. Naturally, this makes the teenage years, especially the high school period, a hotspot for fluctuations in mood, emotion, and mental health in general.
And yet, on top of dealing with and battling the negative impacts of those changes, as well as juggling heavy workloads, the simple idea of “college” is also dropped on students.
Or maybe the idea is not so simple. College indicates focused education, independence, and social experiences. But to a high school student like me, unaware of the experiences of attending a university, college can seem like an environment in which my path in life must already be mapped out. As a result, I feel like I’m left scrambling to figure out the path I want to take, forcing myself to commit to a certain course, and often a particular college.
But in a crucial time when brain and hormonal development are most active, being so set on a particular pathway actually limits the chance for exploration of what the world has to offer and the passions one can identify. During brain development, new experiences and skills reshape and contribute to brain function through neuroplasticity. New connections between neurons, or synapses, are formed, and they become stronger and faster when fresh experiences are developed. Science literally shows that having everything all figured out can actually have negative effects, and that letting things take their natural course in life can help us grow even more.
Teenage years act as the peak for neuroplasticity to shape new experiences and learned skills into growth and exploration. Simultaneously, the pressures, anxiety, and hormonal changes associated with teenage life, further amplified by the anticipation of college, can limit the quality and variety of experiences that one may have.
When it comes to such a competitive process for getting into certain colleges, the results will often come down to how individuals are able to handle emotional and physical stress. What sacrifices will one make to intensely seek out a particular pathway?
Society puts us in a situation where we must coordinate busy lives with drastic bodily changes while navigating the college process. Although we may receive support in ways to balance this transition period, we’re ultimately thrown into the lions’ den of decisions.
But this is not necessarily a bad thing. This can set students up for success later in life by working to balance work and hobbies while maintaining good physical, mental, and emotional health.
It also doesn’t need to be approached through a linear trajectory that is set in stone. With only four years of high school to navigate interests and passions, it’s important to utilize that time to discover what best suits you.
When given a variety of choices, fighting the lions isn’t the only way to solve the situation. It’s up to oneself to explore their options and decide what best suits them when exiting one chapter of their life and beginning the next.
At the end of the day, the college process is not about being “perfect” with a clear-cut path ahead. It’s about finding who you are and the best match for you. For me this might not be so easy, but I’m determined to also find this best match for myself.
