Recently, the Troy High School administrators have visited each classroom that had freshmen and informed each freshman about the fabled “four year plan,” a plan that is supposed to keep track of the future courses. These visits have also been intended to inform students of the required college credits to get into universities or community colleges. As each subject was put onto the flashing screen in front of the room, the student became more and more burdened with the impending future. 

As the counselor rambled on, the number of requirements and the number of unnecessary achievements to get to a respectable university or college grew larger. When the counselors finally finished their presentation, they packed their bags and left to inform the next class, leaving the class in a depressing slump as many dreams of going to universities were shattered. The teacher, already graduated with his teaching degree, continues on with their lecture. The students, however, have been hit with the impossible expectations to live up to. The competition to become the best has become infinitely more difficult. The atmosphere grows tense with anticipation because more and more people are encouraged to be the best. 

While friendly competition is nice, a competition of this proportion will lead to many students now working themselves all night and day to eventually receive the sweet reward of college admission. Universities and colleges tend to be swamped with requests from students all over the world; as a result, the pickings are thin and rare, resulting in a silent competition among other students. 

Troy students are constantly haunted by self-doubting their capabilities and whether or not their skills are good enough for their teacher, parent, or school. To reduce this stress, teachers encourage their students to beat their previous scores by creating friendly games among peers and personal progress reports. Although officials seem to agree with this method of teaching, this method tends to sabotage students when they go off to college and university because the students are too pampered with the care given to them in high school. They prove to be unprepared for the massacre that awaits them in university when they do not receive the care from their teachers. 

High schools that have unforgiving teachers are, by that logic, better than regular teachers who pamper their students. However, the method of those teachers who treat their students as if they’re in college tends to make the competition much more rigorous. This competition tends to give students a great deal of stress and anxiety, which could ultimately lead to a form of depression. Of course, this cause for depression is unchangeable because the A-G requirements of college and university will always be like this. As a result, the competition for acceptance in colleges and universities will always be tough.

by Nathan Park