Students at Edina High School tend to be high achievers, with US News surveys revealing that 67% of students take AP courses, 90% participate in sports and activities, and 95% attend higher education. Students are encouraged by competitive EHS culture, parents, peers, and friends to aim higher and higher in everything they do with the hope of their hard work paying off by being accepted into a prestigious college. As a result, the Edina Decisions Instagram page always features several students attending highly esteemed colleges and universities.
While this environment often appears beneficial, it is questionable as to whether it is truly healthy. “There are a lot of people here who are very high achieving, and there’s a lot of pressure to apply and to try to get in and to compete for top college spots… We’re being pushed like this, but there is probably too much pressure for some people,” senior Jack O’Brien said.
Whether the root cause is competitiveness, individual desires for approval, or high expectations piloted by friends and peers, many EHS students have experienced pressure in some form regarding their college decision. Senior Claire Watz, for example, has mainly felt pressure to use her college decision to prove her intelligence to her peers. “My academic performance this school year has been on a downward trend, not even because I’m not supported in my academics, but because the people around me don’t think I’m good enough,” she said. “What I wish I could change the most is this idea that a lot of people have that getting into a college shows your value, like if you get into a college, you’re smart and you’re good enough. I don’t think that’s a fair judgment of each other and especially of ourselves,” Watz said.
O’Brien has had a similar experience at EHS, as many people have encouraged him to make his college decision based upon prestige and acceptance rates. O’Brien was admitted into the University of Chicago, one of the most prestigious schools in the country, but was unsure of whether or not he should attend. “I feel like the obvious choice would be UChicago, but is that the best environment for me?” he said. “Everyone [thinks] I should go to the most prestigious [school], but what if that’s not the best?”
O’Brien also pointed out that many Edina students have a strange distaste for state schools. “A lot of people have an aversion to the [University of Minnesota] because a lot of people also feel like the U is pretty low on the list of schools, even though it’s a great school,” O’Brien said.
In addition to frequently shunning smaller schools, students also feel that EHS culture pushes college as the only post-secondary option. In this environment, Watz was discouraged from pursuing her original passion of cosmetology. “At Edina, I feel like students think the only post-secondary option is college. Up until my junior year, I actually didn’t want to go to college, I wanted to go to cosmetology school. The pressure is why I started seriously considering college and why I started to take school a lot more seriously,” Watz said. “I’m really grateful that the pressure caused me to find my passion for science and math, but at the same time I’m always gonna wonder, would I have been happier not knowing that and just doing what my initial passion was?”
Many have noted that their mental health took a hit. “There’s people who feed into [the pressure] and people that don’t, but there’s more people that do,” senior Angela Langsweirdt said. In addition to completing classwork, applying to college is a major task that may consume a bulk of seniors’ free time. “I’ve definitely struggled with my mental health this year because college [applications] were just one more thing on top of the crazy balancing act I had to do. It just was really the one more thing I couldn’t take,” Watz said.
O’Brien also noted that once seniors complete their applications, they naturally yearn for their hard work to pay off, and set themselves up for potential disappointment as a result. “If you’re using [the Common App] that’s so much work you’ve put in, and then, if you end up being very disappointed, that’s probably also very, absolutely tolling,” O’Brien said. For some, rejections go beyond disappointment and can lead to disillusionment entirely. “Some people may be really disappointed right now with what they’re looking at compared to other people. People who worked really hard for four years [wonder], ‘Why did I spend all that time, if I’m not gonna get into any of these schools?’” O’Brien said.
In addition to students’ hyperfixation on acceptances, many fail to appropriately consider the financial implications of college. With the price of college increasing each year, financial considerations are becoming increasingly relevant as students select a college. At EHS, however, this piece may be often overlooked. “I think people should be more financially considerate when they make [college] decisions. I have options that younger me would have been egotistical [about] and been like, ‘Oh, it has a low acceptance rate’ and ended up choosing there. But now, I also want to think about what can be better for me five or seven years down the road,” Langsweirdt said. “I’m thinking, ‘How much debt do I feel comfortable with after going to undergrad?’ If you look statistically, the number 1 cause of stress among people who are in their twenties is always student debt,” she added.
Much like Langsweirdt, Watz was also accepted into prestigious schools and faced pressure from her peers to take out student loans and attend those schools. “I think because everyone’s really wealthy, there’s a lot of hype around the college process and everyone’s like, ‘Is this person gonna go to a T20 or an Ivy League?’ and it’s really hard for me to choose where to go now, especially because I got into a school that I really like, that has a lot more hype than my other schools, but it’s super expensive and maybe not as good as it should be for my major with that price,” she said.
Watz, O’Brien, and Langsweirdt each believe that students need to shift their perspective regarding the financial side of college. “Now we focus more on trying to get into those schools than we [do] applying for merit based scholarships,” Langsweirdt said. “It’s really kind of a culture every student pushes as well. I know everyone suffers from it, but it’s something I feel like everyone accepts because they see it happen to every class before them and no one ever really tries to change it,” she said.
After engaging in the rollercoaster that was senior year, Langsweirdt, O’Brien, and Watz each picked up insights that they wanted to pass on to rising seniors. Langsweirdt emphasized the importance of students understanding the significance of schools removing test-optional policies. She also noted that students should select their courses with care and explore fields they are interested in rather than taking classes for the external appeal.
In addition, both Langsweirdt and O’Brien recommended that students take their rejections with a grain of salt. “For most people who are very high-achieving, you deserve to go to any school, but a lot of people deserve [that] also. It’s not that you’re [unqualified], you just didn’t end up being one of the lucky few that got chosen. That’s what happens sometimes,” O’Brien said. Langsweirdt agreed and also emphasized the danger of comparison. “Just because you got rejected from a school doesn’t mean that defines you,” she said.
Lastly, Watz suggested that seniors maintain the notion that college is an individual decision rather than a means to prove oneself. “I would tell seniors that what people think of you when you put your post up on the Edina Decisions page does not determine your value as a person. None of that is going to determine your future success at any school, and none of that is going to matter after high school. I think that you should ultimately choose what you’re getting the best return on,” she said.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 8, 2025
