Competition is present all over the world. Whether it be in sports, academics, or job applications, people are always needing to find a way to be better than someone else. As students have observed in school, this behavior has also been implemented in our daily lives, as taking challenging classes and comparing test scores are common occurrences between students. Though it presents its benefits in preparing students for the future, it can also have detrimental effects on a student’s attitude and mental health. 

An advantage of having competition in school is that it can bring motivation to students and keep them on track so they don’t fall behind. Usually, when people don’t feel pressured or have something that makes them need to get something done, they don’t prioritize it or put the necessary effort into it. Therefore, it is important for students to be surrounded in an environment with other hardworking people so they will be influenced to work hard and put in their best effort. Sophie Zhang (12) also mentions how this motivation “allows students to develop vital skills such as perseverance and dedication while simultaneously expanding their comfort zones, building a firm foundation for meeting challenges in the future.” 

Despite the advantages of competition in school, there are also many disadvantages. If taken too seriously, it can create a toxic environment in school and cause people to work against each other, fueling anger over academics and athletics. Sophie Zhang (12) elaborates on this, saying “this can lead to unnecessary stress and worry, as even though a little competition and stress is normal, an excess can have negative impacts when students feel the pressure to succeed like their peers.”

It also can unintentionally make people feel bad about themselves too. For example, many people like to compare test grades when they come out, and this typically makes the situation awkward when everyone gets a good score and one person doesn’t. This is when it makes people have lower self-esteem. It can cause them to doubt their ability or compare themselves to others more, as they feel others are better because of their scores or all of the vigorous classes or extracurricular activities they are in.

Rather than having this mindset, people should realize how important individualism is, as everyone has their own interests and limits and is their own unique self, and they shouldn’t change that to appear better than everyone or on the same level as their friends. Excessive competition can create a lack of variety in people, so it should be better expressed how people are not worse than others just because of their academic and athletic abilities. Seeing how competition can bring both the best and worst in people, it is important to recognize how to handle it in a school setting to allow people to grow without going against each other.