In schools all across the nation and world, the workload of assignments, tests, quizzes, extracurriculars and schoolwork pile up in what seems to be a never-ending cycle. These assignments shape the current and future academic careers of students across the nation. The root of a student’s academic career lies solely in the numerical grading system- a system that heavily relies on a numerical score ranging from 0 to 100.
When dealing with the numerical grading system, unintentional problems are prone to present themselves. Despite the fact that the numerical grading system only technically serves as numbers on a page that inform a student of how they performed on an assignment, significant drawbacks, doubts and personal obstacles present themselves when dealing with this method.
The weight of parental expectations
As students go through the school system, parents and guardians typically play a crucial role in ensuring that their children are high achievers academically. Oftentimes, parents unintentionally place unrealistic expectations on their children to succeed beyond the levels in which they are currently capable. Some parents may go to extreme measures when it comes to ensuring the success of their child, such as bribery, limiting extracurricular activities, forcing their child to take upper-level courses or ultimately pushing their kids to reach goals that they cannot physically achieve at this point in their lives. Although oftentimes this pressure proves itself to be unintentional, these unrealistic expectations may result in children internalizing the belief that their worth exists solely based on their grades, leading to an increased level of anxiety, stress or the simple fear of failure.
Peer comparison
From elementary school all the way to high school, the desire and pressure to be at the top of the class proves itself to be an achievement that every student desires to achieve, but by the time students get to high school, this opportunity appears to become more draining than realistic. In primary school, peer comparison stems from smaller scenarios. As a young child, I remember constantly trying to be the first kid to finish my times table quizzes so that I could impress my teacher. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this desire to achieve highly and at a quick rate continually plays a big role in my life. To this day, I strive to make the highest score in my class on every single test or quiz, to be the “curve-breaking student”, and to quite frankly be the highest-performing student in every course I take. Although these goals can be a great thing to desire to reach, they can, and are, also incredibly draining. On a personal level, I find myself worrying about disappointing others when I don’t perform as highly or efficiently as I would like to. For lots of students, peer comparison can cause strains in friendships as well. When students begin doubting their own abilities, they may start to feel like they don’t fit into their friend groups, and imposter syndrome may start to take over. Peer comparison proves to cause incredibly negative effects on the lives of students, and it all stems from the numerical grading system.
Burnout
Some students may develop unhealthy coping mechanisms in a desperate attempt to cope with the pressure of being academically successful. In a survey of 39 students at Texas High School, 25 reported pulling at least one all-nighter during the 2024-2025 school year in order to study for an upcoming exam, complete an assignment or simply to contemplate how they can be a higher-achieving student. Our society today heavily primates the ideals and values of the “hustle culture”- the idea that you need to constantly be working, doing something or involving yourself in things that will make you better, and although this mindset can be resourceful and inspiring to an extent, unhealthy effects can come from it, and burnout proves itself to be one of these effects.
On the contrary, 33 students in a survey of 39 students at Texas High School reported that they actively participate in over 10 hours of extracurricular activities per week. Adding extracurricular activities to an already crammed packed schedule can be incredibly tiring for students, and adds extra stress and anxiety to these students. By the time these busy students get home from a 15+ hour day of school, sports, art or their respective clubs of choice, they are exhausted, and often this may lead to lower performance rates, exhaustion, anxiety about how to complete everything on time, and the fear of missing out on the social events that their peers get the opportunity to engage in.
Fear of missing out
In a society that proves to be heavily rooted in social media, the fear of missing out takes major precedence in the lives of students who are involved in extracurricular activities. Students, specifically high school students, feel pressured on a daily basis to conform to societal “norms” such as going out to parties, participating in every school event, and when you’re trying to balance school life, sports and whatever clubs you’re already in, adding the extra pressure of going to another event increases the stress levels of students, and ultimately most students cannot possibly squeeze another function into their busy schedules, and that’s when the fear of missing out comes into account. Students see their peers on social media hanging out with one another as they sit in their room with a book in front of their faces, and they feel as if they’re missing out on fun events, leading them to feel down on themselves for not being able to make enough time to go to extra events. The misalignment between focusing on schoolwork and a social life proves itself to be emotionally draining on students and may lead them to feel dissatisfied with themselves and the lives they live.
Challenges in prioritization
Extracurricular activities are viewed as a key to opening a world full of opportunities, but how far does this theory stretch? When will the line be crossed for what seems to be too many extracurriculars? When students are struggling to balance their priorities, this seems to be when the line is crossed. Although, to an extent, every student should involve themselves with at least one club or organization. That said, most students find themselves unintentionally overloading their schedules with a multitude of activities. Whether the desire to be active in multiple extracurriculars stems from a fear of missing out, parental expectations, school expectations or fear of failure, I do not know, as that proves to be personable to each student. Regardless of what this desire may stem from, it can pose extreme challenges to students, specifically extracurricular students, when it comes to prioritizing school work. After getting home at 10 p.m. from a long day full of upper-level courses, then going straight to an academic club, then heading to theater rehearsal until 9 p.m., I know I am exhausted, and all of this happens before I even get a chance to look at my homework. Although I am using myself as an example, this statement proves true and accurate among many students in our school. In a survey of 39 students at Texas High School, 33 of these students reported that they frequently struggle with prioritizing their schoolwork over their extracurriculars/everything going on in their lives.
Increased pressure to perform
In a society that relies heavily on the numerical grading system, students constantly face immense pressure to perform highly in the classroom and in extracurricular activities such as sports, theater or band. This constant attempt to balance everything students are involved in can overwhelm them as they strive to maintain high grades while giving their best efforts on the field, stage or court. The resulting stress often leaves students struggling to balance the constant demands that come with academic and extracurricular success. This constant sense of pressure created within the lives of these busy students may lead to burnout, an increased rate of stress or anxiety disorder. Instead of striving for well-being, success and health (mental and physical), students instead focus on maintaining “A” averages in their courses, keeping up with their heavy workload and performing highly academically.
Although the numerical grading system may appear beneficial on the surface, implementing it involves a great deal of complexity and hidden challenges. A system that strives to achieve success and implements a “goal” to reach may overlook the main goal of an education: growing and striving as a student while learning.
