Top 10 Most Stressful Things About High School

High school can be pretty stressful and here's the most stressful stuff.
The Top Ten
1 Homework

I had so many assignments to deal with. It stressed me out, frustrated me, and agitated me, and I've felt that way for 20 days. I didn't sleep well for 14 days because of the overwhelming number of assignments. Even though I finished one, I was given another, and the deadline was always the same: two days. With so many assignments, one, two, or more were always due the next day or the day after. I called that week "Hell Week" because it damaged me emotionally and mentally. My brain was straining, aching, and burning. Afterwards, I felt extremely burnt out.

2 Bullies

I was always an intelligent kid (not necessarily academically), but I was bullied nearly all my life. Now that I'm a junior in high school, it doesn't happen as much, but it still haunts me.

Yes, bullies still exist, and yes, they will attack you. There's not much of a way to avoid it unless you're already the bully or the bully's best friend. It sure sucks to know that they may continue to act like this into adulthood unless you do something about them to stop them.

Being bullied is not cool at all. Words can hurt and sting, making you do bad things. I was a victim of bullying back when I was in school. Because of this, I did not have any friends, and my grades were falling apart. Eventually, I had a few friends who stood up for me!

3 Presentations

I never had to give presentations in school, thankfully. We did presentations in groups, and as a little introvert who never wanted to talk, someone more outgoing would do it. They'd nominate themselves from the start anyway. In college, however, all presentations were individual. It was scary at first, but you get used to it eventually. I think it's the work you have to put into it that's nerve-wracking in case you didn't put in enough effort or overdid it.

At the school I went to, they had you do this project in 7th and 8th grade and then present it in front of a 300+ audience at a college. Those were the two most terrifying ten minutes of my life. They had professors attend these things and gave everyone feedback cards on their presentation/project. It was not all positive.

4 Group Projects

Group projects are not fun, and this comes from someone who has worked on many. Whenever there is one, I always do 90% of the work while the others do absolutely nothing but goof off, use their phones, etc. And the worst part? Even if you did almost all the work, everyone in your group receives the same grade. Yes, even those who did not collaborate at all get an A, despite you doing everything.

Group projects are supposed to teach teamwork and friendship, but in reality, all they teach you is not to trust anyone and how to hate people even more.

5 Being Around People You Hate

This one girl will laugh at everyone who makes jokes or burps or farts, and she is loved by teachers. But guess who makes the jokes? Me. I'll say the joke first, and everyone looks at me as if I'm the stupidest person in the world. Then someone will say my joke aloud, and she'll laugh like a maniac towards them. Not just once, but every time. She tries to act all nice after she throws a tantrum. One time, I did a normal crawl to my friend since I was sitting on the floor, and when I said hi to my friend, she said, "Dawson, go back to your spot before I say ugly words towards you." This is a Christian school we go to.

6 Grades

Grades are just a number. They won't matter once you start your actual life and hold a full-time job. People who realize this early are the ones that do best in the real world, not the academic world.

I find it extremely frustrating how grades determine your future. School should be about learning things we will use as adults, not about memorizing things we will eventually forget and not use much in real life just to get an A on a test.

I am kind of peer-pressured into getting good grades. I am known as the smart girl, and everyone says I'm the smartest kid of the year (I actually won't deny it).

7 Drama

The kids in my new school are already making me stay away. The cops were called last week because some boy got mad and threw a chair at a female adult. These kids already give me anxiety. That's why I eat lunch upstairs beside a door. I sit on the floor with my music, and I draw.

I loved drama in school. The people kissing in the corner, the students backtalking the teachers and then storming out - it was so funny to watch, especially if you weren't in the mood for any particular classes.

Sure, if you're well-behaved and do well in school, you can avoid detentions and homework. But you cannot avoid high school drama.

8 Tests / Quizzes

This should be #1. When I was in high school, I would constantly freak out during semester finals.

Hate having to take these. I get so worried that I might make a mistake from overthinking.

Especially considering how much they affect your grade.

9 Cliques

I don't see the actual purpose of cliques. These are just a tool to erect social comfort zones.

It stressed me out so much I never focused on the work enough to get stressed about that.

Most Irish schools are super cliquey. Especially if the school is located in the countryside or a local area, because then, if you aren't a farmer or you don't play sports, you're instantly excluded.

10 Teachers

Depends on the teacher, of course, but we all know that when your teacher is a real jerk, it sucks.

I hated my home economics and English teachers. They were so rude and would always pick on students.

My high school special ed teacher stressed me out a lot.

The Contenders
11 Essays
12 Assessments

The fact you're required to do both and need ISTEP to graduate can be somewhat stressful.

13 Math

Math is important for us. We'll have to learn to use it correctly, not just hate it. In our jobs, we'll totally need math. It's not like Baldi will come in. We all deserve to love math.

Math is one of the only things that actually makes me hate school.

Algebra, geometry, and calculus are useless and very difficult.

14 Thinking About Your Future

Me: "Well, goodnight brain!"
Brain: "Hey, did you know that everyone you know is gonna die someday?"
Me: "Aw, why would you say that? Now my head has this weird, chilly, pounding!"
Brain: "Yeah, this'll go on for a good ten minutes or so. Existential dread is tight, bruh."

15 Trying to Catch Up on Classes

I got the flu once, and it was so hard for me to catch up on my classes. I ended up failing a lot of tests.

No explanation really needed, to be honest.

The peer pressure really bites you, unless you spend all of your time awake catching up and perfecting them so you get a 100%.

16 Homecoming and Prom

At least in my school, this is completely optional, and barely anyone goes, so it does not even really matter.

This should probably be higher than 13. It's so hard to get ready for Homecoming or Prom. You have to find the perfect dress, perfect date, perfect everything!

And that is how I wasted my first kiss and lost my first love.

God dammit, high school.

17 AP Classes

I took AP Euro my sophomore year because I love European history. But this class broke me! I couldn't do anything on the weekends because I had so much homework. My teacher seemed more concerned with getting everything done as fast as possible, rather than the quality of our work. My teacher talked so fast that I would fall behind quickly, and if I asked her to repeat herself, she would say, "Nope, sorry, we have to keep going. We are on a very tight schedule." If I had only taken Euro and removed all my other classes that year, I would still have had more homework than I did with all my classes as a freshman.

18 Lectures

They will most likely drive you crazy in one way or another.

19 Waking Up Early

I gotta get up at about 7 o'clock. It sucks, dude! Teachers are confused as to why we're always tired. It messes with our brains!

I have to wake up at 6:00 to straighten my hair, get dressed, and put on makeup before my school bus shows up around 7:20.

20 Studying for Exams
21 How Popular You Are

I was only popular because my last name rhymed with Geese. It wasn't the type of popularity you would want.

In fact, it was the type of popularity that got me bullied and jumped by randoms in high school. I didn't even have to know anybody to get bullied by people who heard rumors about me.

I'm one of the most popular students in my school despite my quiet nature. It puts a lot of stress on me as I hang out with my friends, who aren't popular at all, even in my classes.

I don't get it. Like, really, who cares about how popular you are? The minute you leave high school and go for a job, you're not going to be like, "FYI, I was really popular in high school. You should hire me." No one is going to care.

Ahh, I just don't get it. Like, why? Seriously, why?

22 Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is a terrible thing, especially at Mount Anthony, where there was a lot of drama too. I had some experience with former friends who weren't friendly to me. I even had to get help from my best friend, Cindy Sweet, who helped me a lot!

23 Lunch

In school, there was never enough room in the canteen to eat, and we would get in trouble if we ate in the hallways. We could go outside, but when it was cold and raining, it led to major problems.

I hated eating with people I didn't know.

The food is mediocre, but it's finding a place to sit with friends that can be stressful.

24 Having a Locker That's Far Away from Your Classes
25 SATs
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