Dear High Schooler,
Congratulations on being an overachiever. No, really. You should be proud of your ability to not only survive, but thrive given the amount of pressure and stress that you're under. And you may even be so used to being successful that it seems like it's second nature – a happy byproduct of how you naturally live your life. But regardless, the accomplishments you've managed to achieve for yourself are a testament to your intelligence.
But I also want to make sure you're happy. I want to make sure that you know how capable you are. And I want you to know that you are more than just your grades.
When I was in elementary school, I remember that after every test I would ask around to see what my classmates got so I knew who my competition was, though ultimately spelling test scores as an 8-year-old end up being pretty inconsequential in one's educational "bigger picture." Needless to say, my competitive academic spirit continued for much of my schooling. This means that by the time I got to high school, I was a full-blown overachiever.
But that's where things started changing. As the number of clubs I joined started to increase, so did my independence from my grades. Grades were a reflection of my academic career, but not who I was as a person. And everything came to a head before my senior year when I decided to do show choir instead of finishing the IB program (though I eventually got to do both). I think this is what saved me.
It saved me from being the person who planned out four years of high school classes based on what would get me the highest GPA. It saved me from looking down on my classmates who didn't get into colleges that were as "good" as mine. It saved me from seeing others as the sum total of all their tests and exams.
As an overachiever, your marks in school are important, but so is your personhood. I have seen too many high-school juniors overburden themselves with classwork, ruin their sleep cycles, and ignore their friends just to maintain their .001 lead over the person below them. Too many high-school seniors devastated by rejection from their top school for not being "well-rounded" enough despite stellar grades. Too many college freshmen get hit with an identity crisis when they realize that they are just another academic overachiever in the sea of many at their top-tier university. And when their grades start to falter, as they eventually will do, these new college students will shut down, questioning the very purpose of their existence.
So maybe when you're picking classes for next semester and have an empty space, opt for something that you're interested in rather than a third AP science class. Or join school activities that will make you happy rather than the ones that will "boost your college application." And don't forget to spend quality time with your friends (more than just asking them what they got on the latest quiz). Remember that no matter how it seems or what you're told, you're always more than a number from 0 to 4.
