“What are you doing this summer?”

Although this question is common and simple, some students interpret it as an academic threat.

Driven by the desire to outdo others, many competitive students feel the need to take all possible measures to secure positions above their peers. One such measure includes hiding their summer plans, volunteering and internship opportunities and which college prep counselors they meet with.
With the school’s competitive environment, many students want to know where they stand among their peers.

Although this mentality challenges students to work hard and do their best, it ultimately develops a complex network of academic and social issues, one of the greatest being the lack of trust among students.

Parents often rationalize this habit by pointing out that top colleges will only accept a few students from each school, so each classmate is essentially a competitor. For some, competing against peers in order to squeeze into brand name colleges and universities overpowers a genuine desire for learning.

However, what many fail to realize is that this mindset is detrimental to friendships.

Secretive acts create tense relationships. Friendships are built on mutual trust, yet some students are so afraid of helping their peers — or rather, their competitors — that regardless of how close they may be, they often unintentionally create underlying trust issues between each other.

Often both students are aware of their mutual secrecy yet refuse to address it, which gnaws at the bond of trust between them.

This is not to say that students should disclose information they are not comfortable sharing. However, they should realize that there no need for them to be overly secretive or distrustful toward their peers and that doing so is detrimental to the school environment.

Helping others does not hurt one’s own chances at being accepted into a good college. It strengthens relationships, encourages personal growth and increases personal success.

Granted, it will be difficult to reduce the competitive nature of students, but a significant step toward creating a healthier school environment is to promote a genuine understanding of what students should value out of their learning experience.

What many students need to understand is that college is not an end goal; it’s merely a stop along the way of a much longer journey.

Grades, test scores and petty competition will not serve students well later along this journey. Rather, learning how to trust, maintain friendships, support others and be selfless are skills that will prove to be much more valuable in life.