To my knowledge, competition is reared early in children. Although competition can be healthy as it spurs innovation and provides motivation for people to better themselves, it can also produce narrow minded adults. Through competition in academics, sports, tournaments, and club activities, young minds are taught that in order to have fun one must be in first. With this idea of first place being reinforced within our youth, it can lead them to become obsessed with victory. They eventually lose sight of the fun things that come with the process or activities and only find enjoyment when holding the gold. This obsession leads people to adopt sayings like “Second place just means you’re the first loser” or “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” When a person’s life becomes nothing more than a lust for first place, they begin to lose track of what truly matters.

When I graduated high school, I was tied for rank 15 with two other students. I started out school in Arizona without a GPA worth mentioning. Since I was a transfer student from New York, I was not placed in any advance classes. However, as I proceeded through high school, I began to take more and more advance courses each year. I didn’t take these courses to boost my GPA; I mostly took them because I enjoyed learning. I genuinely had a fun time in the classes where my peers wanted to learn as much as I did. Classes that had teachers who were able to provide a unique atmosphere for honor students. Although they shared my love for learning, they took grades and GPA to an unhealthy level.

There’s a saying that goes “It’s lonely at the top.” I would extend this saying to say that it’s lonely when all you dream about is the top. Back in high school, almost every single one of my classes was an AP or honors course. Most of my school friends had all the same classes as me since the school didn’t provide a large variety of advanced courses. This led to a group of 20 or so students who were extremely competitive with each other academically. This constant war for rank 1 made all my classes less and less fun since the top students turned everything into a battle. Small debates, simple projects, board work, it all became an outlet for their need to be number one. Before becoming an honor student, I used to love going to school and learning new things, but the malice and tension that stung the air in all of my classes made it almost unbearable. This alludes back to my first few statements because those top students did not have fun doing what they were doing. They betrayed any friends they made for a petty comment about grades and most of them were lonely. None of them were lonelier than the girl who held the position of rank 1. Day in and day out, school was all she had and all she did. Once, in calculus, I was put in a group with her. This project involved us meeting outside of class, and when we met she told me it was the first time she has ever had a friend over. After finishing our project, she told me about how alone she felt and she didn’t understand why the other “smart kids” hated her. After a lengthy explanation, she didn’t really seem fazed by what I said. She accepted it as fact and said something to the effect of “I guess it doesn’t matter whether or not I make friends or go to parties. I’m still number 1 and I’ll always be better than them.” This mindset reinforces the initial saying; she reached the top and found out how lonely it truly was.

Unlike the ranked 1 student, I took a different approach towards learning and still managed to place high in the rankings. Instead of focusing on getting the highest grade and besting others, I focused on doing my personal best and achieving whatever I deserved for my efforts. I spent my time breezing through high school, taking what I deemed interesting instead of what was recommended. Instead of pining for the results of taking honors courses, I spent my time enthralled by what each course had to offer. Even though I only got to rank 15, I had a wonderful time learning throughout high school. I was proud of my accomplishment unlike many of the other students in the top twenty. They constantly complained about how a certain teacher brought their GPA down or how certain non-honors electives only gave them a 4.0 instead of a 5.0. They became too obsessed with being number one that they did not take the time to enjoy their teenage years.

To me, school became a colosseum where the top 40 students were gladiators competing for their lives. They all competed for a spot in the top 20 (who were given medals at graduation) and the strongest of them competed for the number one spot. These top students put on public spectacles just like the gladiators would. Instead of combat, students showed off to their audience through their use of leadership skills, extracurricular activities, and various school sanctioned events or competitions. The audience would consist of parents, teachers, colleges, and scholarship committees whose prizes and adoration motivated each student to try harder and strive for those limited top spots. In this instance, the classes ultimately became the beasts that the gladiators faced on the field. With every creature slain, another trophy or medal adorned the gladiator’s wall. With each class completed, another A was plastered on their transcripts. With each trophy, they became more and more popular among the audience. Every one of them dreaming of being their high school’s Spartacus.

Victory may cause excitement and it may be something to strive towards, but it should not take over people’s lives. Although victory may bring a sense joy, it is not necessary to feel that happiness. The path taken, the people met, and the experiences had can bring an equal, if not greater amount of happiness. Regardless of results, people should learn to be proud of what they have already accomplished. I could have fumed at how I got second place for my painting and I could have easily pointed out all the flaws in the first place prizes work. However, I would rather not waste energy trying to bring someone down just to make myself feel better. I have enough confidence in my own abilities and accomplishments that bringing someone else down would not help me in any way. I have already attained that high of victory in just accomplishing the task and doing my best.