Everything in Moderation: The Value of Academic Balance by Jenna

Everything in Moderation: The Value of Academic Balance by Jenna - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

One of the most widely-acknowledged, basic facts about high school is that students in grades nine through twelve often experience pressure to perform well academically. As a senior in high school, I have not only observed the effects of this pressure on others, but have also felt the stress of trying to maintain decent grades throughout the past four years. I have also taken note of how students are expected to cope with the high standards they are met with. While becoming more organized, developing efficient study habits, and devoting more time to schoolwork are all promoted as the best ways to handle the stress that high school often presents, I have found that those skills are not the ones that were the most important to my academic success in 2021. As I faced increased academic pressure as an upperclassman in the past year, it was not spending more time studying that benefited my academics, but taking a step back. The most invaluable academic tool I gained this past year was the skill of maintaining balance in my life; instead of stressing myself out over grades, allowing myself to indulge in activities outside schoolwork is what helped me maintain my As and high GPA.
For much of my academic career, I’ve struggled with perfectionism. I used to focus overly on small details, which caused me to not only devote too much time to academics, but also to stress unnecessarily. I began to realize that many of my peers achieved the same academic success as I did, but through much less work. In short, I did not have an efficient or healthy approach to academics at the beginning of this past year, which affected my mental health and overall productivity. However, as the year progressed, I began to realize that I could take a step back from my academics and still perform well in school; the value of a balanced lifestyle became increasingly apparent to me.
Creating this balance between academics and the rest of my life has not been easy; I still sometimes fall into habits of overexerting myself for the sake of academic success, but over the course of this past year, I have figured out how to maintain a balance between school and other aspects of my life. Participating in athletics has played a huge role in the development of this skill. As an incoming freshman three years ago, I was often told by counselors and upperclassmen that getting involved in extracurriculars was a great way to make friends and to enrich student life in ways outside of academics, but I don’t think I realized the true value of establishing balance until my junior year of high school. Despite being on both the cross country and track teams the previous two years, I had gotten into the habit of running myself ragged with anxiety over my grades and academic pressure– I hadn’t learned how to balance schoolwork with the things I enjoyed, like being on those two teams. I was a good student for it, but I now recognize that my priorities weren’t organized in a healthy way. However, by my junior season of cross country, I was completely in love with the sport and my team, and that meant attending pasta parties each Friday night before meets, which, in turn, meant ignoring my homework until Saturday and Sunday. Initially, I was apprehensive about losing one night of working on homework, but throughout the cross country season, I achieved the same level of academic success as I had prior to devoting Friday nights to cross country, and I was happier. I extended this approach to the track and field season with success, and, as a testament to my personal growth, spent the night before my AP Psychology exam at a meet cheering for my teammates and received a score of five out of five on the exam the next day. Developing the skill of allowing for balance in my life has enabled me to recognize when I know test material well enough to stop studying (and to not overstudy), to include more visits with friends and other, non-school-related activities in my weekly schedule, and to remind myself that academic success doesn’t define my self-worth. I’m sure that to many people, the whole concept of balance in regards to academics doesn’t seem like a very big deal, but to me, it has combined the maintenance of my academic achievements and my mental health.
While I can’t say that I never feel the stress of academic pressure anymore, I am quick to emphasize how important it is to establish balance in one’s life as a high school student. Mental health is closely associated with the overall productivity of an individual, and so I think, from my own experiences, that learning to both focus on schoolwork and set aside time for activities that bring you joy is integral to academic success. Developing the skill of maintaining balance in my life has helped me become more efficient and decisive in regards to my assignments, and in the past year, I’ve experienced more satisfying academic success than in past years. Strengthening my ability to let go of school-related stress when appropriate and to know when to power through the pressure has enhanced my life, and I look forward to continuing to apply this skill to college academics and campus life.