Whether it’s leading clubs, organizing fundraisers, or just trying to keep up with all the assignments and tests, there is one thing Uni students all can agree on – school can be very, very stressful. Additionally, the academic competitiveness in the student environment can pile onto the excessive pressure placed upon students.

We asked students from every grade about their input on the stress and competition at school. Here is what they had to say:

Romaisa Aamer, Junior: “Balancing a good social life, academics, and extracurriculars is stressful, especially this year since it’s our junior year. By applying at Uni, people already expect more competition than public schools because people here are more academically focused. But I think that too much competition can turn into a toxic environment, like people asking each other their grades.”

Jeana To, Freshman: “I think the most stressful part about school is the homework and grades. There is a lot of assigned work and not enough time to do it. I think that if teachers spread out tests and the work they give us, it would be less stressful and we would have enough time to get things done.”

Salma El-Naggar, Senior: “For me the most stressful part of school is getting good grades and keeping up with the material. For example, in Chem, I feel like there should be more material. In math, not all the material gets done. There is also a lot of competition at school – people get discouraged when they’re not doing as well as others. I think we shouldn’t make everything about grades.”

Ankita Bhargava, Subbie: “Homework in general and keeping track of all the work can get pretty stressful. I think it would help if they had a platform where teachers can put the homework would be really helpful.”