By Britany Blackburn

Publié le 16 juin 2026

Imagine studying for an exam, but you have other assignments to submit in the same week, and you also have other homework where you must not fall behind since your other subjects will be the topic of your upcoming exams, so you never truly catch up… Oof. 

The pressure that schools put on students these days is enormous. As a student myself, I notice this all the time, like when my friends tell me they went to bed at 2 a.m. to finish their homework, or that they have 3 books to read for the same week. It often feels like there is never a break since students are constantly keeping up with their deadlines. 

School pressure is harmful because it affects students’ mental health, limits their career opportunities, and takes up too much space in their daily lives. 

Exams, homework, grades, and the pressure to succeed can quickly become overwhelming. According to university researchers, school pressure is one of the main stress factors among students, increasing the risk of anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and psychological distress. They also explain that excessively heavy workloads cause a lot of stress, which then harms learning. This is because students are often too stressed to be fully mentally present in class, which makes it more difficult for them to concentrate and understand new concepts. In addition, it is this mental load that also affects sleep. Having multiple assignments forces students to stay up late to get ahead and keep up with their work. Except that in the end, these nights of studying will not have been very useful since the next day fatigue will appear affecting intellectual abilities. It is an endless cycle. 

Academic pressure can become an obstacle to a future career when it prevents students from making choices based on their true interests. ‘‘I did not choose the natural sciences program, which would have allowed me to have more career options that interest me, simply because I would not have survived the workload,’’ explained a Social Science student from Collège d’Alma. Students end up prioritizing their mental health, which limits them in their career choices later. This constant pressure affects students’ confidence in their abilities, leading them to believe that they are incapable of succeeding in more demanding programs, even when they have the skills to do so.  

Being in a program where there is a heavy workload, I have often been discouraged. I find it unfortunate that school is no longer only synonymous with learning but also with mental exhaustion. I often sacrifice sleep to get ahead on my assignments, because otherwise I would never manage. This mountain of work takes up a large part of our lives, which in a way limits our social lives. It then becomes difficult to see friends or simply take a break since work and deadlines always come first. Except that even during those rare moments of rest, it’s hard to really switch off, because there’s always a homework assignment or an exam on our minds. 

In the end, academic pressure limits students rather than helping them reach their full potential. It does more harm than good, affecting students’ mental health, career choices, and daily life. Although schools should encourage students to push themselves, excessive pressure leads us to question where the line should be drawn when it comes to these expectations. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

World Health Organization. (2024). School pressure becomes more harmful when students receive less support at home. https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/13-11-2024-rising-school-pressure-and-declining-family-support-especially-among-girls--finds-new-who-europe-report 

Pascoe, M. C., Hetrick, S. E., & Parker, A. G. (2019) International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. Stress significantly affects students in both secondary school and higher education by harming their mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823 - abstract  

W., Stéphanie. (2025). Classeur d’école. Sleep plays a crucial role in academic performance. https://classeurdecole.fr/influence-sommeil-performances-scolaires/ 

Belmont, C. (2024). Bien Enseigner. Excessive school pressure can negatively affect students’ mental health and overall success. https://www.bienenseigner.com/la-pression-scolaire-et-ses-effets