By Bel Dodd | December 12, 2019

If I asked you what the most competitive high school sport is, what would you say? Most Americans would immediately say football. At LEE, perhaps soccer, or track, or even basketball. This year it’s become clear to me that the most competitive high school sport is the hustle for college.

Being raised in a family and community where college was considered mandatory meant the conversation regarding college started as soon as you were old enough to listen. In middle school, advisers were telling us which electives to pick in order to get into a good college, which sports to be involved in, which clubs to attend. It quickly became clear that the act of just going to college was not enough.

The stress that’s put on kids from an early age to get into good colleges is entirely overwhelming, but lately I’ve been realizing what a privilege it is to experience this type of stress. To be hiring SAT tutors, on special committees, and paying money for extra practice in sports just to get a good scholarship are things people only consider if their goal is to get into top colleges. If they have a legacy that’s important to continue on. To be the second, third, or seventh person to go to college in their family. If your parents went to top colleges, the bar is immediately raised for you. Every family's goal is to have the next generation in their family to be better off than the last. If your parents were pushed hard to succeed, odds are they will push you even harder.

The conversation regarding college starts too soon for public schools built in an affluent district and not soon enough for public schools built in a lower income district. If your parents went to college, you have an advantage. Many people who don’t apply to college don’t because there is a lack of conversation about college in their home. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2016, 69.7% of students who graduated high school were enrolled in college. However, 49% of these students are enrolled in community college. The stress of getting into college can often feel like a universal issue, but according to a recent Harvard study, only 6.7% of the world has a college degree. It’s easy to feel like everyone is at the same level and held to the same standard when it comes to applying for college. In reality, only 20% of people who go to college attend schools that aren't community college.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the world of ranks, AP tests, and SAT classes. While all those things are significant, it’s important to remember that not everyone has access to those things or even the privilege to think the same way I and many of my peers do about college. Going to college should not be a privilege; everyone should be able to go to college if they wish. And while for the most part everyone can, the way colleges in this country go about accepting applicants and continuing to raise tuition means not everyone has an equal opportunity to get into good schools.

The stress I face throughout high school regarding college is a stress I’m lucky to have. I’m stressed about which college I will go to, not if I will go to college. I’m stressed about how to take the SAT or ACT, not if I will take it. It’s a privilege to be this invested in my future and to have goals in place of how to get to where I want to go. The hustle and stress to get into a good college is ridiculous, but it’s something I’m lucky enough to experience.