The pressures of achieving straight A's, being a captain on the football team, and starring in the school musical can weigh heavily on teenagers driven to succeed. At the Utah County Academy of Science in Orem, students shared their experiences of intense academic pressure.
In a recent discussion with juniors and seniors at UCAS, Fox 13 News posed a question: "How many of you would consider yourselves very highly strung, very tightly wound?" Only a few hands went up. When asked how many were laid back, more students raised their hands, highlighting the varying stress levels among students.
UCAS, ranked the top high school in Utah by Niche, a ranking and review website, is no stranger to academic stress. Junior Reuben Uribe spoke about the challenging curriculum. "A lot of the courses here at UCAS are actually very rigorous. A lot of the classes that I have in particular, they involve a lot of doing stuff instead of just, 'Here is a lecture, here's a lesson. Now learn it.' You actually get to apply it in the class. And I think, like just that application, learning and doing can be a really big challenge," Uribe said.
EG Turner, also a junior, said, "I came in going, 'I have the will of like, God, going to this school, I can do this.' But when it came to junior year, this year, I feel like I'm almost burnt out at a certain point."
Political science teacher Jeff Ferlo emphasized the importance of project-based learning. "My class is a lot of project-based. I teach political science, and so one of the things that we did this year is to give them a project that they had to go out to the community and find something to do. My job is to help them be where they want to be in life and make a difference in this world, wherever they're at," he said.
Child and family psychologist Dr. Doug Goldsmith noted the pressure high achievers face. "The high achievers feel overwhelmed and feel like I have to just work really hard, and some of them are able to focus more on school, and some activities. Middle achievers are trying to balance. “I’ve got piano and I've got church and I've got all of these other activities, and I'm squeezing them in, and I want my screen time before I go to bed.” Screen time and phones have created mayhem," Goldsmith said.
Goldsmith also mentioned that younger students, like seventh and eighth graders, are feeling the pressure. He said, "I'm hearing from seventh and eighth graders that are panicked. 'I just flunked my math test today, and I'm not going to be able to go to college,' and it's taking a lot of work therapeutically to help them understand that seventh and eighth grade is practice and preparation for ninth grade, and that will count."
To help reduce stress, Goldsmith suggested scheduling time between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. "As they start to put the schedule together, two things happen," he said. "One is they realize this isn't going to work, and I've got to be in bed by nine o'clock and I'm not going to get everything done. Or they realize, I get this done and I'm actually going to have time for my screens and my friends after dinner, there will be free time, and they can start to organize themselves better. That's a piece that the parents need to be helping with."
Students shared their future aspirations and dreams. Senior Kai Heftel humorously listed his career goals: "I want to be Mr. Ferlo, a biomedical engineer, and achieve world domination," drawing laughs from his peers. Senior Chanel Thomas expressed interest in becoming a teacher or a corporate lawyer. Junior EG Turner hopes to become a marine biologist, while junior Porter McCuistion is considering a career in mechanical engineering. Senior Charlie Midy also aims to become a mechanical engineer, and junior Asher Richardson candidly stated, "I want to go into business management, yeah. Just want to make a lot of money, basically," again drawing laughter. Junior David Wood admitted, "I have no idea. But I've still got time, and so I'm still looking into stuff."
Goldsmith suggested that students might benefit from a gap year to explore different careers and volunteer opportunities. "Kids may need a gap year to be able to explore and see what they want to do, explore different jobs, and different opportunities and learn how to volunteer. That's how we can guide them into being successful adults," he said.
For parents who suspect their teens are under too much pressure, Goldsmith advised watching for signs such as irritability, nervousness, sleep disturbances, or withdrawal from activities. If these symptoms are present, seeking professional help may be necessary to ensure the well-being of their child.
