Behind the three-story buildings and grand arches of Palo Alto, students are working themselves to death. Teen suicide rates in Palo Alto have risen to more than four times the national average. Palo Alto, known as the “Birthplace of Silicon Valley,” is one of the wealthier cities nearby, and many of those wealthier families place unbearable pressure on their children to succeed. This equation of “higher expectations + overwork = burnout” is the harsh truth for many high-achieving students. For many, the road to college and the road to success depend on working yourself to death. The students of Claremont High School are running full-speed down that road, and it has to stop.
The road to college is madness. We need to fit the mold of a top-student, but somehow stand out against world champions, young business owners, and Nobel Peace Prize winners.
PBS News states, “Many internalize sky-high goals and subscribe to ‘grind culture,’ the youth version of ‘hustle culture.’ They feel guilty unless every moment is productive. These kids end up living for the future rather than the present and compulsively comparing themselves to others.”
It’s impossible. Burnout means 80-hour work weeks for kids; it means working “overtime,” balancing full AP/IB schedules with internships, sports, clubs, family, and friends. When between 8 to 12 AP classes is the “norm” for Stanford acceptees, what choice do we have but to go down that road?
Mindless bookworms, study-machines, a polite, attentive doll. Burnout manifests in different ways for different people. Look around you. Mere 8th graders are already taking AP Calculus BC (a true event from last year at CHS!). 10-year-old violinists are already earning first at international competitions. 9-year-old children are already giving inspirational talks to thousands of people at TEDx talks. The thought of “I’m not good enough” starts to creep in and the never-ending game of catch-up begins. 10-minute naps at midnight to fuel up for another hour of cramming, getting a few seconds of valuable shut-eye in class just to stop yourself from completely crashing, no more free weekends due to extracurriculars, and a revolting sense of jealousy when others succeed where you could have done better. Burnout manifests itself in different ways for different people, but no matter who it affects, burnout kills.
Literally.
Burnout has taken lives in Palo Alto and worldwide. According to CDC, “19.9% of students had seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9.0% had attempted suicide.”
Burnout kills self-fulfillment and any sense of relaxation. Every second spent not working is a waste of time. Feelings of guilt start creeping in as you sip on boba with friends, “People are out there making change, and I’m sitting here relaxing?” Toxic thoughts pollute our minds. Not making it to a top 20 college would mean death to family honor. It would mean death to parental “love.” It would mean death to a good future.
Right?
Wrong. It’s time to distinguish the lies from the truth. The “universal truth” of good college equals good future, is a lie. The road to college is designed to drive us mad. We need to start drawing the line when a “good future” involves self-harm, anxiety, depression, and suicide. Any defense of the burnout mentality completely falls apart when you ask “why?” because the road to college is nonsensical. Claremont, we need to stop walking down this road before it’s too late.
