How stressed should I really beAnswered
As a freshman, I feel like me even inquiring on a site like this is a flag. I don't know if me being freaked out about how many extracurriculars I am in or how well I do in them solely because of college is really all that healthy. Also, due to the fact that I come from a small town in Colorado that generally has lower quality schools has been affecting my mental health. Should I really be this stressed about it or should I relax a little.
the most important thing is doing what feels right to you. As long as you keep your grades up and are somewhat active in your community you should be okay. If you stress out over college too much to enjoy high school, college isn't going to be any fun either
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Freaking out about extracurricular is not the best thing in the world. It's good that you are worried/conscious about what you want in your future, but there is a VERY fine line between healthy worried and freaking out to the point that you can't function.
That being said, you should participate in extracurricular. Colleges love to see students that are well rounded and have interests outside of school. I would suggest having 1-3 things(that you enjoy doing) as a part of your extracurricular list. Clubs with volunteering as it's main goal(ex. Beta Club) or ones with specific interests (ex. HOSA, Speech & Debate, Chess, STEM ect..) are good clubs to think about and some people participate in sports that they want to carry on to college.
As @ThatJackAttack said, do things that you like to do, because almost nothing good will come from being in clubs purely for application points. Having tons of clubs on your list and not having a leadership position/some important position, or skipping between clubs will not work in your favor.
Good luck!
Hey there @Jojo_Coffee!
You're a freshman. Don't let worrying about college take a toll on your mental health-- you have a few years before you have to even start thinking about college seriously. I am a freshman at a college prep school where a lot of emphasis is placed on college-- you have to join x number of clubs and take x number of honors classes and APs and electives and you have college counseling once a week from sophomore year to senior year. It can be overwhelming to even think about. But the good news is, you don't really have to yet. For now, do things you are passionate about, take classes that challenge you but don't stress you out too much, and have fun! High school is a great time to try new things, meet new people, and discover new interests. If you spend all of your time stressing out about your future, you'll forget to enjoy the present. :)
I totally understand what you're talking about. When I was a freshmen, college consumed almost every waking thought (which I admit is not great). And I still think about it a lot. So long as you're in a few strong extracurriculars, especially things like honor societies, you'll be fine. Even if they're not that type of club, something that helped me relax is making a plan to become a part of leadership in one or more of my clubs since colleges really like that type of thing. Enjoy your time because it goes by so fast. Also, if you're feeling really stressed, maybe see a guidance counselor. They might be able to better help, especially since they'll understand your situation and school better. I hope this helped :)
Trust me, as long as you do the things you actually want to do (don't just join a random club at your school purely for college applications,) you won't have to stress about it. Just relax a little, and do the things you like.
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Definitely don't stress about it! You'll have plenty of opportunities to get into good schools even if you relax during high school. While its definitely a god idea to make sure you're active in extracurriculars and take some higher-level courses, don't overload yourself with things you'll have a hard-time handling. There are some really good universities that don't need you to take 9000 APs and raise thousands in charity for extracurriculars and play sports on top of a job.