It’s no secret that students are stressed out. Freshmen are adjusting to the workload that high school brings, sophomores study and prepare for the next two years, juniors power through what is arguably the hardest year of high school and seniors submit applications that determine their fate for the next four years.

It’s not exactly easy for anyone. And yet, we’re all expected to perform at our highest possible potential. Our futures depend on it, in fact. There’s an entire section on most college applications dedicated to explaining any “irregularities” in our transcripts, but that’s just a nicer way to say “explain why you weren’t perfect for all four years of high school.”

The expectation is that students dedicate their entire existence to making themselves look good on a piece of paper that will get looked at for a grand total of ten minutes, if that. Isn’t that ridiculous? How could we not be stressed out?

If that wasn’t bad enough, taking a moment for yourself is looked down upon. Why weren’t you spending that time in a club, volunteering or studying? How can you expect to get into your dream school if you aren’t prioritizing it above everything else?

People like to say that they have compassion for students — that they understand the stress — but they can’t, not really. In this digital age of endless opportunity, every single opportunity you don’t take advantage of is held against you.

If you spend too much time on schoolwork, you’re not building a well-rounded resume. If you spend too little, you’re neglecting your academics. Students just can’t win.

Stress is inevitable. We can’t even take the weekend to forget about schoolwork because emails clog up our phone’s notifications and remind us of all the things we aren’t doing right now. It’s nice to have access to your assignments on-demand, but we have to stop somewhere.

We’re not saying that we shouldn’t ever have homework or anything like that. Although appealing, it’s an unrealistic request to make. We just want compassion.

Be kind. Understand that students have lives too. We aren’t machines that can work endlessly.
We get stressed, tired and burnt-out. It isn’t easy to be a student, but with enough support, compassion, and understanding, we can do it. Just help us.

From,
The Editorial Board

What is a staff editorial?
Editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lodge staff or of the St. George’s community at large.

The Editorial Board: Anna Schmiedicke, Sienna Lightman, Trinity Cannon, Natalie Howard, Erin Johnson, Hannah Morrison, Mary Beth Skelton, and Seth Taub