Students are beginning to get a feel of what their classes and workload this year are like. 

As students move up the social ladder of high school, they also reach new heights academically: classes require longer hours and a higher quality of work. 

“I think this year is harder because of the specific classes I’m taking,” Abby Bustamante (10) shares. “In freshman year they tried to go easy on us so we didn’t get too stressed out.” 

Most students accredit the new stress they are under to their classload. Emily Bullock, a sophomore in Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) and Math 135 rated the stress she is under at a 10 out of 10. 

“I don’t have time to relax, but do it anyway,” Bullock states. “I need sleep.” 

Bustamante, Bullock, and others use different tactics to help ease stress. This includes listening to music to calm themselves down, breaking their tasks up into smaller pieces, taking periodic breaks, or focusing on hobbies like dancing or drawing. 

Students believe that they can deal with their stress levels and workload in healthier ways. They explain that they often use their stress relievers to procrastinate and this compounds their stress. 

“I dance when I want to destress and sometimes it makes me more stressed,” Sophia Mann (11) explains. “I dance at home a lot and I’d rather do that than homework.”

Many students do recognize that the stress they are under now will benefit them in the future and help them to better manage their time.  

“I think some levels [of stress] is healthy because it motivates you,” Lana Lubecke (11) states. “However, I think a key thing that should be encouraged in school is good time management because that skill will serve you for the rest of your life. I do recognize that time management comes from hard work on the students’ part and cannot always be forced by the teachers.”