This year, Latin’s newest freshman class have begun their high school experience, opening a thrilling new chapter in their lives. Since the first day of school, weeks were filled with a variety of welcoming experiences, ranging from outdoor retreats to class-wide games planned in school, easing the freshmen into the rigorous academic environment.
The primary semester is often an introductory and lighthearted one. Freshman Gianna Belcher said, “This first semester has been a little stressful but generally good. My teachers have been easy to work and meet with, and my classes are for the most part enjoyable.”
However, when adapting to a new school year, stress and excitement can often go hand in hand.
In spite of the fact that some feel at a comfortable stress level, many express the opposite. Freshman Claire Horwitz said, “I am very stressed. I have a lot of exams that are worth a significant portion of my grade.”
Freshman Nolan Levy echoed a similar statement. “I feel like I haven’t had enough time to do all these things,” he said. “I’m confused about schedules, and I’m nervous I won’t understand finals week.”
Despite all this, there are plenty of resources for students to comfortably adjust into such a stressful time.
“The faculty at Latin are awesome and they really care about students,” freshman counselor Clara Wade said. “Any counselors, your dean, your advisor, are all great places to start if you need support.”
Unfortunately, the introductory time of the year has ended, and midterms have arrived. Midterms are stressful, no matter the age. For freshmen in particular, they can cause confusion and uncertainty.
For me, I found the workload leading up to important exams to be distracting from the exams themselves. It’s hard to be prepared—not only academically, but mentally—for tests that impact your grade so heavily.
Gianna agreed. “To be honest, I haven’t had much time to stress about my finals because I’ve been occupied with preparing for them while managing assignments and other things,” she said.
The first step that many schools have taken to tackle teenage mental health is to recognize midterms as a source of stress and potential burnout. A 2014 study by the American Psychological Association found that teens “report feeling overwhelmed (31 percent) and depressed or sad (30 percent) as a result of stress. More than one-third of teens report fatigue or feeling tired (36 percent), and nearly one-quarter of teens (23 percent) report skipping a meal due to stress.”
Stress itself can sometimes be useful, pushing you to take action and perform to the best of your ability. But too much can be counterproductive, leading to overwhelming anxiety and burnout.
A recent article published by the American Psychological Association noted that “between 2016 and 2020, the number of children aged 3 to 17 diagnosed with anxiety grew by 29% and those with depression by 27%, according to a study published in 2022 in JAMA Pediatrics.”
I have no doubt that these numbers will rise even more if left unattended. Now, more than ever, there is a greater need to pay attention to teen mental health during stressful times, especially in a crucial age of development such as freshman year of high school.
I often feel overwhelmed during weeks of heavy exams. At first, the stress was beneficial as it allowed me to manage my time effectively. However, when the amount of work increased, it often left me discouraged—needing to do so much but having the energy to do very little.
Yet coming into Latin, I noticed a subtle difference from my previous schools in how these exam weeks work. I started to notice a more evenly spread exam schedule, with no more than two important exams a day. For me, Latin’s system works well as it allows students to properly distribute time to study well for these exams without getting overwhelmed.
Along with Latin’s accommodating schedule, it has been made abundantly clear that counselors and teachers are always available for meetings and advice, and that upperclassmen can also be a source of advice when adults might seem intimidating.
Junior Allegra Cerda advised freshmen to “start studying way ahead of time, so you are not studying so much information all at once. I know it’s hard, but it helps a lot.”
Ms. Wade looks to identify the root cause of the overflow of school-related stress for freshmen. “I think that it’s just so much that is new in high school. It’s a really big change, everything is different, people are different, classes are different,” she said.
Ms. Wade attributed students’ stress to another factor as well. “Latin students often feel a lot of pressure to do well in high school, often thinking ahead to college and career goals.”
This pressure often equates to perfectionism, a common struggle in the Latin community.
When it comes to perfectionism and stress, there are solutions that Latin counselors recommend. “Think about your basic needs, like sleep, food, water—it can be easy to forget about those things. It can help regulate our mood,” Ms. Wade said, “I recommend any kind of movement. Journaling can also be great—writing things out helps get things out of your mind.”
A new school year always causes stress, but it is important to realize when you need to take a step back and take a break. There are countless resources for students to go to for support and guidance.
While midterms can be stressful, there’s no way to eradicate them completely. So, it is imperative that everyone acknowledges their stress and confronts it effectively.
“Take a deep breath, trust yourself, give yourself some grace and time to adjust. It’s a big change, try not to put too much pressure on yourself to adjust right away,” Ms. Wade said. “Think about another time in your life when you experienced a hard time, and what you did to get through that. Know you can do that again.”
