It’s a brand new day and you stayed up all last night studying for that test you have in chemistry. Do you feel ready? Was it worth staying up until 2 a.m. just to get up four hours later? It doesn’t help that you were extremely busy the night before. You worked for hours at your job and had to volunteer after school, resulting in not getting home until 10 p.m., making you absolutely exhausted.  Even still, that grade is going to make or break the rest of the quarter. It’s the last test so you have to do well, right?

An article released on Social Work Today states, “For adolescents, the first signs of mental illness or emotional distress can emerge in the school environment. It’s well known that mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and family problems often are the root causes of poor academic performance, disciplinary issues, and truancy.” These effects start around fourteen years old and continue on through their high school careers. Hollis Brookline students are struggling to do their best; whether it’s dealing with personal problems, academic issues, or both, all emotions are affected by how physically attentive you are.

This raises multiple questions. Would you risk your mental health to get a good grade in a class? How much sleep are you willing to lose studying for something that won’t necessarily affect you in the long run? Sarah Crocker ‘17, a strong student, gave her input that many high school students can relate to: “I’m always willing to risk my mental health for my grades because my future basically depends on them. I’ve pulled all-nighters just to get projects and assignments done on time.” The dedication students will have to have go out of their way to get one good grade is incredible.

What would you choose: grades over sleep or vice versa? Even with a reasonable amount of time, a lot of busy students won’t even consider doing an assignment if their bones are aching for them to sleep. Their last realization to do homework is often when they know the next day they’ll still be too tired to find the motivation to complete it. The obsession to do well in school has taken over students lives. Will it take over yours?