The unsigned editorial represents the opinion of the Editorial Board, which consists of the majority of the student editorial staff.

Many of us have heard ourselves or others say something like this. 

Straight from the get-go, many Strath Haven students emphasize the importance of signing up for as many rigorous courses and extracurricular activities as possible. 

Signing up for as more than you can handle on top of Haven’s competitive nature, leads to stress and panic in students who constantly feel the need to overachieve. 

Too much competition “can heighten stress and anxiety, lead to information and innovation hoarding, and break down the relationships needed to ensure student success,” causing declines in mental well-being, according to research by The Deming Institute. 

This competition and the need to improve also increase negative comparisons with others around us. We can find ourselves thinking we don’t do enough as our best friend or aren’t as smart or talented as them. 

Really, though, most Haven students do more than what time in a school week allows. According to Band Director Mr. Nicholas Pignataro’s weekly “This Week in Band,” 40% of students do a sport and are also in music ensembles, both time-consuming activities on top of physically doing schoolwork daily, many of which are academically challenging. 

Additionally, many students are involved in chorus, fifth block club meetings, and other music programs. Many students are at school during fifth block for school help, leading clubs, or preparing for a sports meet, practice, or game—with more staying past fifth block for other extracurriculars, like Mock Trial and Tech Crew. 

The reality is that the numbers don’t matter as much as other factors—one of which is passion. 

Some will argue that involving themselves in as much as possible because they “need to do this much for college” or they “won’t get into [my] dream school/this Ivy League school if I don’t do this.” But colleges don’t just look into the number of activities you’re involved in or the number of AP classes you’ve taken.  

The US News & World Report states that many colleges appreciate applicants more who, rather than having just a “club membership” in a plethora of distinct activities, are involved in a few that showcase their talent, commitment, and leadership in the extracurriculars they choose. 

This can also apply to AP courses and exams. In another article,  “How Many AP Classes are Enough?” Education Week found that a student’s chances of success and receiving good first-year scores in college don’t exactly increase if you take more AP courses and exams.

If signing up for a handful of activities or AP classes isn’t very valuable to you or to colleges who will read your application, why worry about the quantity or the need to participate to have them on your resume? What should you do instead? 

Instead, we implore you to take time to appreciate the activities you enjoy and the accomplishments you have achieved instead of wishing you’d gotten a better test score, scored above 30 on an ACT exam, or added more extracurriculars or AP courses than your friend.

Don’t force yourself to sign up for courses and extracurriculars that don’t interest you. Don’t fill up your schedule just to look good when you apply for college or a job. 

There is so much more to life outside of test scores, rigorous class schedules, and long lists of afterschool activities. 

Be happy for who you are and the things you do in this moment, and the rest will fall into place.