Opinion by J1 Reporter Sydney Schulze

At a time when mental health is more talked about than ever, the connection to education needs to be recognized. Everyone says that junior year of high school is the hardest. It’s the time to take all of the AP classes and get involved in thousands of activities. At this point, we almost expect students to be drowning in schoolwork. All of this is nothing new, but it’s time to recognize that it is not normal.

Yes, school should be challenging. You should be motivated to study and work hard for good grades. But by no means does it require you to sacrifice your health. At Marian, so many girls put their sports, grades and activities far before they even think about sleep.

For many juniors and seniors, the main thought behind all of this is college. I cannot count the number of times that I have heard people say, “I need this for my college applications.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s true. Colleges have incredibly high standards to even get in, let alone apply for scholarships to cover the ever-growing price.

That is why college admission counselors should try to put themselves in our shoes. And high schoolers, you should not spend so much time worrying about college applications. The right school will be right for you; you should not have to break yourself to get there.

For example, Harvard’s acceptance rate dropped from 35% to 7% over the past 10 years. My mom always says, “I just went to Creighton because you didn’t have to write an essay.” How times have changed. Now, to get into a good college, it seems like you have to take a million AP classes, have straight A’s, play a varsity sport for four years, have 50 leadership positions, and have a billion service hours.

That being said, it is hard not to get swept up in the stress. I am here to tell you that it is okay to take a break. The world will keep spinning. College is not worth your mental health, because what really matters is that you are happy. You do not want to look back on high school just to remember dying of exhaustion from homework.

Although there are some things that we can’t change, take this as a sign. To all of my freshmen and sophomores, try not to overexert yourself. Juniors, try to have some fun with the college search and remember that it is okay to ask for help. Seniors, enjoy every last minute of Marian. If you’re ever feeling anxious, blame colleges for their impossible standards.