You’ve grown up your whole life hearing from countless adults, movies, and tv shows that high school is going to be “the best time of your life.” They are The Golden Years — or so we are told.
From what you hear, what’s not to love? Long-lasting friendships and memories, school events like dances and football games, varsity sports, and young love. Why wouldn’t these be the best years of your life?
But the reality is there are so many other aspects to high school that don’t get brought to the big screen.
Soon you will be met with academic stress, peer pressure, and an overwhelming amount of new responsibilities that you must balance alongside the rest of your life.
Conveniently, nobody ever mentioned that The Golden Years also consisted of demanding school assignments, drama-filled friendships, and constant stress.
High school is often praised as a period of few responsibilities and more time to have fun, but many teens find themselves juggling intense school work, jobs, sports, and other activities, while still having to find balance with their social lives.
“One of the best parts of high school is the awesome social aspect,” NASH junior Kate Azar said, “but the absurd amount of assignments and tests can really take away from the opportunity to have fun experiences with my friends.”
The massive workload put on high school students doesn’t just take away from their free time, it also adds an astronomically high amount of stress to their lives. The pressure to not only keep up with and complete the work but also achieve success can easily overwhelm students and affect their well-being.
“I experience a lot of stress when it comes to school work because I want to do the best I possibly can at everything, which can get very overwhelming,” Azar added. “This can sometimes take me away from experiencing fun things or moments in everyday life because all I can think about is my school work.”
A lot of this academic pressure felt by students often comes from themselves. It is easy to compare yourself and your academic performance to your peers. With how competitive things are these days, it often can feel like you’re never doing enough.
There always seems to be another AP class you can take, another club you can join, or another sport you can play, that will help you get into the best colleges.
NASH junior Cedric Otey said, “It is hard balancing my AP class work with my athletics. I want to achieve success and do my best at both, so time management definitely is important for me as I play for two hockey teams and have four AP classes. But it can be very stressful at times.”
A lot of this overwhelming feeling of having to succeed now is so you can also succeed in your future. Many teens’ high school careers are spent worrying about what comes after. Being wrapped up in stress about the future can cause isolation from the present, leading teens to miss out on their high school experience.
A huge part of that experience is the social connections. For many students, getting to see their friends and peers is the best part of their day. But teenage relationships don’t come without drama, peer pressure, and competition.
In the school halls, there will always be rumors spreading, gossip happening, and arguments breaking out. In a building full of teenagers, this should be expected but nevertheless negative experiences with classmates can take a significant toll on some teens and can even be a factor in developing issues with anxiety or depression.
“Since the school district is so large, I feel lucky that there are always new people to meet, but sometimes it can definitely feel a lot smaller when you have to interact with people you don’t necessarily have the best relationship with,” stated Azar.
It would be unfair to not acknowledge the undeniably positive aspects of high school, too.
“High school has given me the opportunity to meet my best friends who I will have the rest of my life,” said Azar.
High school is one of the best times to form relationships that could last a lifetime. Being able to see some of the most important people in your life every day is definitely not something you can experience many other times in your life.
“High school is definitely a great opportunity to meet new friends and connect with them at and outside of school. Through football games and other social events, there are so many opportunities to be social and hang out,” said Otey.
High school gives you many great opportunities–like high-level academics, sports, clubs, and arts–that can help you develop interests and build skills for the future. It is a great time to try new things and discover yourself.
“NA has given me a great support system and encouraged me to achieve my goals,” Azar said. “I’m grateful to have teachers who help me as well.”
While not necessarily the best years of our lives, the years we spend in high school can be some of the most important. These four years are a period of significant personal and emotional growth. It is a peak time for maturity in teens as they gain more independence and have new responsibilities.
Though challenging, the lessons you learn academically and socially, help shape you into the person you will become in the future.
“I’m really grateful for my high school experience but it’s hard to say that high school will be ‘the best years of my life,'” Azar said. “Although I have enjoyed the connections I’ve built and all the amazing opportunities, there is just so much academic and social pressure that comes with it.”
She continued, “I’m most excited to go to college. I think I will enjoy the freedom and new environment, compared to high school. I look forward to seeing what life feels like outside of high school and all the great things I’ve yet to experience.”
AP Psychology and Modern American History teacher Dan Schall backed up Azar’s judgment with his own experience.
“High school is an important time in life, and it was definitely a transformational time for me,” Schall explained. “I look back on high school as good years in my life, but they are certainly not the only ones. Enjoy your time in high school, but know there is still so much waiting for you in life.”
