Pressure To Achieve Good Grades Essay

Pressure to Achieve Good Grades

Many students feel pressured to achieve good grades. A student may falsely believe good grades are the only way to achieve admission into a prominent college, which is the only path to a successful career and life. Students who experience academic pressure can feel doubt and uncertainty, and this pressure can be internal or external. Pressure from parents, peers, and schools can result in stress, the desire to cheat, or physical and mental illnesses.

Pressure to achieve good grades can cause a student to have high levels of stress. Researchers at the UK 's University of Reading conducted a study with more than 3,500 German students on a student’s ability to achieve expectations. In the study, “[t]hey

A student may try to find loopholes in their work to achieve success. A study was conducted by Denise Clark Pope, a lecturer in the School of Education and author of Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic and Miseducated Students. In this study, Pope shadowed students in different high schools for a year to seek out the students’ engagement in class. In each class, however, she found students cheating on the exams. Pope stated, “Students feel as if their life success depends on getting the top SAT scores and the highest grades... The students ‘know [cheating] is wrong; they tell me they wish they didn 't do it,’...‘But they feel like the most important thing they do is get the grades, by hook or by crook.’" (Palmer 1). Students feel as if their success in the future is dependent on their grades in high school. They convince themselves that a perfect score on an SAT or test is their passage to a successful career. Point Loma Nazarene University released an article depicting reasons why students cheat in college. Students reported that “financial aid depends on GPA” and “others’ cheating puts [one] at a disadvantage.” (“Reasons Students Cheat” 1). They were drawn to conform to society, taking drastic measures to be accepted. Financial aid is dependent on GPA scores, and to stay in college, some feel the pressure to cheat.

The American Psychological Association states that “[u]nlike everyday stressors, which can be managed with healthy stress management behaviors, untreated chronic stress can result in serious health conditions including anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system. Research shows that stress can contribute to the development of major illnesses, such as heart disease, depression and obesity.” (“Understanding Chronic Stress” 1). Chronic stress can be a result of overly pressured students. Students can experience these symptoms if they put too much pressure on themselves to be accepted or fit in. UCF psychologist Kimberly Renk conducted a study on parental expectations, asking students and parents questions regarding communication, dating, and academic achievement. The report stated, “While most students were meeting or exceeding their parents’ expectations, many still thought they were falling short, and those students reported lower self-worth and more trouble adjusting to college.” (Nauert 1). Feelings of low self-worth occurred because the students felt pressured to be a perfect student. Physical and mental illnesses can be a result of pressures to get good grades; other effects can include stress and