Students in Langley place a lot of pressure on themselves to obtain high grades, excel in a variety of extracurriculars, and have countless accomplishments in an attempt to create a sense of excellence in their college applications. One reason why students feel this pressure is due to Langley’s reputation and academic rigor.
“People come here to get into the best colleges because Langley has the best programs and the best classes and courses,” senior Numa Khan said. “I think with it having a great education system, there’s obviously competition and there’s obviously going to be stress of doing well.”
Furthermore, some pressure students face can be attributed to extracurriculars as they are viewed as an integral part of college applications.
“Especially in Langley, there’s so many people who just do things for college apps, [like] joining honor societies that [they] don’t really care about,” Khan said. “I see a lot of people joining clubs that [they] never attend regularly, but still putting it on.”
An application’s purpose is to not only inform colleges of a student’s extracurriculars and grades, but also to give colleges a sense of a students character and personality. Some students may feel pressured to do something impactful for their community.
“People do a lot of stuff […] that they think would look good in their college applications […] like starting nonprofits,” sophomore Elina Chainani said.
Overall, Langley’s atmosphere breeds individuals with countless accomplishments. Pressure can sometimes cause students to feel insecure when compared to their peers.
“Everyone knows that Langley is a pretty competitive school and we have a lot of people who are just super smart,” Chainani said. “You might compare yourself and where you are to where other people are, like your friends or just other people you know.”
Competition and comparison within peers can cause a student to enroll in numerous AP’s in order to mirror what their friends are taking. This has resulted in a situation where students are overwhelming their schedule substantially.
“I see a lot of people taking like 6 or 7 AP’s, which I feel like is extensive.” Khan said.
Students are misguided with a myth that taking countless AP’s will guarantee college credits for those classes. However, it may not be worth the high amounts of work and stress.
“Even if you do those APs, some colleges are gonna make you do those classes again because they want the money for the class,” Health and PE teacher Ms. Crocker said. “And you’re not guaranteed to get into the schools you want, so you’re putting yourself under a lot of undue stress.”
Despite this fact, this unhealthy culture in Langley continues to exist. If left unacknowledged this culture will continue to consume students’ lives, causing high amounts of stress and pressure.
“If they don’t get a perfect score, it’s to them the end of the world and that’s not how the world works,” Ms. Crocker said “Langley students are putting a lot of undue stress on themselves trying to be perfect. I don’t think a lot of the students know how to cope with stress and [it] ends up having a toll on them.”
Although being mere teenagers, this sense of pressure to create a perfect persona for colleges can overwhelm students significantly. The dark side of taking tons of APs, joining numerous extracurriculars, and winning awards are the after effects of burnout.
“There is a sense of burn out that can happen […] and that’s why I really emphasize just making sure you can do it and enjoy it as well because at the end of the day, we are all still students, and we deserve to have a sense of peace,” Khan said.
There are countless ways students can take action to reduce this stress. Firstly, they need to recognize that there are a multitude of various pathways to achieve success in life.
“I think you should go [to college] if you want to go, not because your parents want you to […]. There are other avenues that students can take […]
There are vocational programs […] and also there’s the military that students can be in, and they can make more money than a person with a college degree, so it’s just as good,” Ms. Crocker said.
Additionally, the ability to tune out social media, pressures from parents and friends, is helpful. This will help combat the pressures and toxic comparison that come with being in a highly competitive society and environment.
“Instead of just comparing yourself to others because comparing is way toxic, just focus on yourself and what you need to do for your future and what you want to pursue,” Khan said.
Furthermore, in terms of an academic schedule, students must be encouraged to be strategic and realistic. Khan emphasized having a balance of different classes and interests with varying difficulty levels.
“I feel like you need to take courses where you’re also learning different things like you’re not going AP chem, AP bio, AP physics all in the same year,” Khan said. “ You should be able to […] have a balance of things that you enjoy because colleges also […] wanna see things that you are passionate about that’s not academic.”
The immense time commitment extracurriculars entail can come at the expense of energy and mental health. Khan advised to stay focused on a few extracurriculars.
“It’s quality over quantity,” Khan said. “[Colleges are] gonna know it’s a bit sketchy if you’re just listing a bunch of things, but if you just have a list of a few things, you’ve put in a lot of hours for it, and people know that you care about it, that goes a long way.”
Students must dispose of the unhealthy mindset that Langley’s competitive environment cultivates. Chainani proposed a different, more positive mindset students should have.
“I think even if you do want to go to a top college the mindset should be: you should always try to work towards your goal, but if you face roadblocks or things are not really going your way, don’t worry, it’s just highschool,” she said. “It’s just 4 years of your life. It’s not gonna determine whether you’re successful or not.”
On the other hand, Khan emphasized to stay focused and dedicated but also not burn out. This idea of a careful balance is highlighted by a quote from the novel, ‘The Alchemist’, that is treasured by Khan: “The secret of happiness is to see all the marbles of the world and never forget the drops of oil on the stool.”
“One should live life fully and that living life also means to be responsible,” Khan said. “There’s a balance with everything and I think that you should always have a balance in high school. Good luck if you go to Langley.”