Troy High School has one major problem, and it’s perfectionism. Many students are stressed, sleep deprived and depressed over getting into the right college and, in some cases, making their parents happy. Some would do anything for their grades, resumes and future. In addition to losing sleep, students may also sacrifice their friends and happiness over extracurriculars, homework and assessments. This has become a very concerning problem for a lot of students at Troy High School.

Sophomore Sophia Kaltsounis shared her thoughts about perfectionism at Troy High School, “Everyone is trying to get the best grades they can and compete for colleges, and that just puts a lot of stress on doing as many extracurriculars and getting the right grades.”

Kaltsounis also explained how her mental health is impacted by this situation, “There’s a lot of days where I don’t get enough sleep, and that makes me not in a great mood the next day, or not as focused, and really anxious sometimes if I have a test or quiz.”

Junior Deeksha Hadagali shares similar opinions, “People want to succeed in high school, and get into a good college,” she said, “Everyone has school, and it is going to be hard, but I feel like prioritizing your mental health is better,” she said.

Junior Ayushi Gupta opens up about her transition from sophomore to junior year and how stressful it is, “There was a lot more pressure a couple years ago, and as a junior in high school, I think that there is a lot more pressure in the junior year itself, compared to all the other years.”

Gupta also talks about how she is balancing her academic life and social life. “Trying to maintain my academics, I do tend to get low in my social life, I don’t have much of a social life as I did a couple years ago.”

Senior Krish Gupta believes “Everyone is under some type of pressure.” Some students are always under pressure from parents and friends.

Some ways to help cope with this level of stress are by taking a walk outside in the fresh air, talking to someone, taking a nap or doing something fun, like baking, dancing, running and eating with friends and family. One of the main things to take out of these coping techniques is to be relaxed and have fun. Being perfect doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the better things in life.