By Alexa Loera, Greenwich High School Class of 2026
In a school with approximately 2700 students, it is inevitable that students differentiate from one another. It’s what makes GHS such a diverse school, with so many extracurricular options, whether it be theater, sports, band, or a world language club. And yet, there appears to be one key factor that unites many, if not most, GHS students: stress over college applications.
From the moment one steps into the building for the first time as a freshman, they are bound to hear advice on how to strengthen a college application that, despite seeming years away, gets closer and closer with each passing day. Of course, some may feel more stress over the subject than others, but the fact remains that many students spend hours agonizing over a process that with each passing year seems more incomprehensible.
In just a single year, the Common App saw a 5% increase in applications, with approximately 962,000 students applying to at least one college, a number that increases annually (Nietzel). The process is incredibly stressful, with seniors having to balance their regular schoolwork with countless supplemental essays, on top of any personal or extracurricular commitments they have. Beyond that, seniors have spent the last four years dedicating themselves to their sports, clubs, classes, volunteering, jobs, all while taking standardized test after standardized test. Yet in spite of all of this effort, the college admissions process is one largely outside a student’s control. After all, a senior has no control over their financial aid offers, FAFSAs, or whether or not they have a legacy status at a university. In fact, one of the few things within their control is what classes they take across their journey at GHS, making course recommendations one of the most important parts of the year. But how many students deny themselves the opportunity to pursue their ideal courses in favor of what will look better on a college application?
According to GHS’ school profile, thirty-two AP classes are offered, with three more being added to the course of study guide starting with the 2026-2027 school year. Across the more than 2700 students, 993 took at least one AP test during May 2025. Of these students, many take more than one exam, with GHS administrating 3051 total tests the previous year. This is an increase from the 2023-2024 school year, where 941 students collectively took 2734 exams. This represents approximately a 5.5% increase in students taking at least one AP test, and around a 11.6% increase in total AP exams taken, a significant increase when one considers the fact that the data comes from two successive school years. The question is, how many students take these exams solely because of pressure, rather an actual academic desire?
While senior Mio Gogate never took a class based on its academic weighting, she acknowledged that “….the majority of students probably take classes because of the perceived academic standing of a course. At GHS, I believe there is a common misconception that students need to take certain AP classes in order to prove the high academic rigour that colleges are looking for. I see so many of my peers take on an overwhelming amount of AP classes, unable to continue their hobbies and passions outside of school and unable to get proper hours of sleep or time for themselves.”
It seems that her observation is correct, with sophomore Pilar Ortuño explaining, “I did not take entrepreneurship because it was not honors. It has a very negative impact on your weighted GPA. Here in Greenwich, we value our weighted GPA almost as much as our unweighted GPA. As an ambitious student looking to apply to a competitive university, GPA is a very important factor for applications. Even though I may want to take a class, I will not take it if it isn’t honors/AP because it makes a very big difference on GPA.” Senior Ana Miranda reported that she didn’t take Film as Literature, thinking about the importance of taking rigorous courses in order to boost her college application.”
Junior Sarah You agreed.
“Yes, I think that some students take certain classes for the status of being in ‘advanced courses.’ I think in the GHS culture, it’s normalized to be the most accelerated student possible—students can place a lot of emphasis on AP and Honors classes for the mere perception of what a ‘good student’ is,” Sarah said. “Even if it’s detrimental for your grades or mental health, students tend to stick with the course that is at the highest level as opposed to an easier, less stressful, maybe non-weighted class.”
An overall consensus was that “non-academic” electives, particularly art, tend to be neglected by students due to their lack of immediate honors credit. As Pilar Ortuño believes, “I think many of the art classes (culinary arts, music, painting, etc.) would become a lot more popular if there was honors credit. Some of these classes do have honors credit, but not at an entry level like the business classes do. Because of this, many students do not take these classes and explore their passions. Much of this could be explained by the stigmas surrounding these classes, especially how people perceive them as ‘easy.’”
Sarah added, “I also think the fun intro electives, like certain art classes and cooking, would be more popular with honors credit. But often, students want to jump straight to the honors and AP options of those electives. Discouraged by being forced to meet prerequisites, people can turn away from the arts and toward other options with more easily attainable honors credit (ie: business classes, computer science).”
Naturally, there are many potential consequences to these mindsets. As stated above, many may take classes that they aren’t truly interested in, or may take on more pressure and classwork than is feasible. This only serves to worsen stress levels and students’ general mental health. Students may begin to sacrifice their free time, abandoning their social life and hobbies in order to ensure they receive the highest grades possible. While this kind of dedication can be admirable, it is also all too likely to cause academic burnout.
I myself can say that I have chosen many of my classes based on its weighting, which had a large impact on other aspects of my life. For instance, I took Creative Writing last year, a non-weighted class. In order to balance this out, I doubled-up in English, simultaneously taking honors level courses so that my college application wouldn’t be negatively affected. While I don’t regret taking multiple classes at once – I genuinely enjoyed and learned a great deal from both courses – it did increase my feelings of stress, as I sacrificed my open periods in order to take more than one English class. On top of dealing with the general worries one encounters during their junior year, the lack of opens led to academic burnout by the end of the year, and it wasn’t until the summer that I was truly able to recover.
Ultimately, the fact remains that GHS students generally pick their classes solely based on its academic weighting, a phenomenon likely caused by a communal emphasis on college applications, as well as a widespread belief that taking accelerated classes marks someone as a “better” student. This has the potential to increase mental health struggles, all the while leaving certain GHS academic departments neglected.
So, what can be done?
The school could potentially provide honors credit for electives that currently lack them, which would likely draw more students towards the courses. Additionally, the idea of eliminating weighting altogether has been proposed in the past, but it would involve changing most of the school’s grading system.
Of course, all problems have their own benefits and drawbacks. Simply put, the stigma towards non-weighted courses is not an easy fix.
As Pilar Ortuño explained, “Most of these problems are unintended consequences of policies with good intentions. By offering these difficult classes, the school is giving students the opportunity to reach higher-level learning and become more competitive candidates for jobs/college. Perhaps an option could be less grade inflation for honors/AP classes. It would have to be a very small change as to not disincentivize students from taking these classes, but enough to not have students not partake in regular classes they are interested in. Students face pressure and stress to perform well regardless of their school, town, etc., and it is simply something we naturally have to deal with. So, the school may want to implement some sort of day/s where students can relax from their course work, have fun with friends, and de-stress a bit.”
Regardless of the exact fix, any solution will ultimately have to come from the collaboration of GHS students, administration, and staff alike. Hopefully, with the proper cooperation and policy, students will be more encouraged to explore courses related to their own personal interests instead of sticking to the “status quo” of what a “good” student should take.
After all, as Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton have taught hundreds of high school students, the sentiment that “It is better by far/To keep things as they are/Don’t mess with the flow, no no!” only holds students back in the end.