I had a delusion that writing about my high school experience would be easy. Spoiler alert: it was definitely not easy and quite ironic. As students, we put an obscene amount of pressure on ourselves to live up to this expectation of how we think high school will pan out. For many, it lives up to the hype. For others, not so much. Both adventures are perfectly fine. 

As kids, television portrays high school to be,“the best four years of our lives,” leading to misconceptions of what actually happens inside these four cinder block walls. Ultimately, this leads to disappointment because of a misconstrued expectation. My high school, Manchester High School in Connecticut, is not East High. There was no Troy Bolton that swept me off my feet, nor have I participated in a flash mob or a food fight. As goofy as it sounds, I suffered extreme disappointment for not having a television-worthy high school career. As a senior graduating in three weeks, I was ignorant for putting all that pressure on myself. 

This emotional strain we put on ourselves is both internally and externally motivated. In a study by Frontiers in Psychology, researchers found that 49 percent of students experience an extreme feeling of stress, and 26 percent have been diagnosed with depression, which is over four times the nation’s average. The only stressor Sharpay battled with was what outfit she would wear the next day. Two different experiences, two different forms of pressure. 

Just because your high school portfolio doesn’t include being a star basketball player and musical sensation does not mean that you failed high school. Many students think that their future is dependent on high school, and in some ways, it is. According to a 2015 study done by the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, those who peaked in high school care too much as adults about their appearance. On the contrary, those that were the most genuine and charismatic ended up becoming leaders. These are the kids that didn’t care about where they fit in the high school hierarchy.  This social pyramid doesn't exist outside of high school, or so I hope.  High school is a time to experiment, and figuring out where you fit in during your time at school is all a part of the process. 

As a society, we have to lower the stigma that high school is the best time of our lives. For some it may be, and for others it is not. It is not fair to set a general expectation when not every student will fit into this imaginary mold. By reducing that generalization, it will allow students to enjoy the experience they want to have. It is not fair for a person who hates pink high heels to have to stuff their feet in a pair to feel like they belong. That’s just…uncomfortable, both literally and figuratively. 

High school is four years dedicated to finding your path, finding interests and creating a plan for the future. However, because of these false narratives, it has become a social burden. One way that we can combat this burden is to create media that is actually representative of what high school is actually like. But, why would anyone want to watch kids struggle with depression and three hours of homework? I would hate that show. We compare ourselves to a facade, an imaginary plot used specifically for our own enjoyment. Let’s promote each other's differences and struggles to reduce the pressure. Then maybe, just maybe, we can all live our own version of High School Musical. Personally, I can’t sing, but that is all part of the experience. 

Works Cited

Khan, Urbi. “You can't sit with us: How our high school frenemies shape us.” The Eyeopener, 12 November 2019, theeyeopener.com/2019/11/you-cant-sit-with-us-how-our-high-school-frenemies-shape-us/. Accessed 10 May 2022.

Ossola, Alexandra. “How to Prepare Today's Already-Stressed High Schoolers for College Without Burning Them Out.” The Atlantic, 9 October 2015, theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/10/high-stress-high-school/409735/. Accessed 10 May 2022.