Homework, extracurricular activities, all-nighters, and stress – that sums up the life of a high school student as they strive to meet their parents’ expectations. Keeping up with school and extracurriculars can be very challenging for most students as their parents expect the best out of them. Parents support their children in after school activities due to the many benefits that come along with being involved in one. Extracurricular activities are known to look very good on college applications, teach students how to manage their time, get involved in their community, and build social relationships. However, parents do not realize the amount of stress placed on their children as they work hard to maintain good grades.

A survey conducted amongst Lambert students has proven that students are involved in a wide variety of activities such as clubs, volunteering, tutoring, and playing a sport. Due to their busy schedule, students often have a hard time balancing their extracurricular activities with school. The number one skill students have a hard time mastering is prioritizing their own time; timing is very crucial for students when it comes to endless nights filled with homework. A student at Lambert has stated, “I balance extracurricular activities and school by using time management and trying to work ahead of time. I write down important dates on my calendar and keep track of what is due. I also make sure my ride’s there before an event ends, in case it ends early and I plan ahead. ” Without the skills of being able to stay organized and working ahead of time, students can be found in a very difficult situation due to the procrastinating.

Spending too much time on extracurricular activities is not very healthy for students as they struggle to find the time to complete their homework. According to California State University, “a child who devotes his spare time to extracurricular activities spends less time on studies. According to the survey, students spend an average of 10 hours a week on activities outside of school. As students work under a very restricted time limit, this can affect their grades if they are not spending enough time studying.” When students get home, they immediately want to take a nap or be given a chance to rest. However, as their stacks of homework await, they know that they have to plan the long night ahead of time and stick to their plan, or else they will not get everything done.

On top of sticking to their plans, many students struggle with one main distraction when studying: their phones. It is very hard for a student to give up their distractions even for a moment, but putting away one simple device can make a huge difference in the amount of work one can get done. “I struggle with putting my phone away 99% of the time because I’m always on it. There are rare nights when I turn off my phone, but on those nights, I get the most work done. I also sleep earlier than usual because I don’t have any distractions,” stated a Lambert student.

As students struggle to balance their busy school life with outside activities, there are many obstacles that prevent them from being the most successful at school. Students have to be able to prioritize their activities and they have to learn how to manage their time wisely. Although students have many items to be stressed over about, another factor that plays into their stress levels is their relationship with the people around them. Parents often expect the best out of their children; they might not expect their child to be the best at everything, but parents still expect their students to try their best under all circumstances.

Students always strive to do their best to meet the expectations of the people around them, but with being involved with so many activities, it can be very hard. Through the journey of trails and errors, students are able to realize the importance of sticking to a plan along with getting work done on time. Not only does this help students tremendously with school, but the skills learned can be put into their future lives when they go off to college or when they don’t have a parent constantly reminding them of what they have to do.  Although students are stressing over balancing their extracurricular activities with their school work, the benefits always follow afterwards.