Everyone I meet in college seems to have their lives together.

They’re balancing a double major, a minor, 3 different clubs, a paid internship, and even a research position all while maintaining their incredibly high GPA. These people all strive to climb to the top in their fields, and to reach their goal, they compromise their mental and physical health. In our current education system, it’s easy to feel inadequate as other people experience success after success with internship offers and perfect grades.

The idea of being average becomes something looked down upon, and we constantly compare ourselves to others, wondering why and how someone else became so successful instead of us.

In an environment like this, I’d rather be average.

If becoming successful entails losing friends, happiness, or health in the long run, then I don’t want it. Of course, this doesn’t mean I won’t continue to push myself to become a better person. I am perfectly content with not making millions of dollars a year in the future and not owning a mansion, though under our education system, even if you devote all your energy into academics, there is still no guarantee of an event a decent future job.

In order to get into med school or graduate school, students are expected to be in the top of their classes, creating an environment where instead of building each other up, students start tearing each other down. This consistently persistent environment only adds to the already piled up stress these students have. I've had countless friends who have lost self-esteem and self-confidence from the pressures in their competitive classes. Ironically, these same students who are skipping meals and getting very little sleep are the ones who are trying to become doctors to save lives in the future.

To all the people out there who feel incompetent and feel like they’re not doing enough - it’s okay to be average. It’s okay to not be the top 1% in your field, and it’s okay to not take on that third club position for the resume if it means sleeping at 3 AM every night. Just because you’re not the typical student with a pretty resume that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. You don’t have to be a cookie cutter pre-med or computer science major with multiple internships at Google and Facebook to

Being “average” in the eyes of society means nothing if you can carve out your own path in your own way. It’s true that sometimes, without being able to balance school with countless other duties, it’ll be harder to get into the school of your dreams and pursue your desired career, but just because you’re “only doing average” in these classes that doesn’t mean you’re not capable.At the end of the day - your health is what matters the most.

At the end of the day, your health is what matters the most.