Sydney Smith

High achieving students belittle their merited success due to an unhealthy comparative mindset. Hyperfixation on the success of other students negatively impacts high achievers’ self perception.

High schools often create a competitive academic environment with the goal of helping students achieve their greatest potential, but high-achieving students may be harmed by these aspirations and invite the need for comparison.

High achievers are more likely to express perfectionist traits, which deteriorates their learning experiences. They are more likely to lose satisfaction with proficient yet imperfect schoolwork, and their personal standards continually rise with each assignment. The significance of every achievement is drastically dampened because it simply doesn’t feel like enough.

For many high-performing students, success is defined by tangible objectives such as straight As or a perfect test grade. 

Senior Ameya Menon is one of these students. “Grades are the primary way that schools measure our academic progress,” Menon reflected. “While success is made up of many different aspects of life, for me, grades play a significant role in my personal definition of success.”

These types of goals quickly lead to comparison to other students instead of the recognition of personal achievements. Hearing of someone else’s higher grade or GPA can trigger hyperfixation on these numbers for high-achieving students.

Learning in a competitive environment introduces eternal comparison between the highest achievers and can instill a comparative mindset that turns life into a perpetual competition.

Comparison pushes high achievers into an unrealistic life of racing to outdo others. Freshman Abigail Gauss has felt this pressure, even in her early high school experience. “Because of the high standard placed on high achieving students, I find myself working harder, which has driven me to accomplish more,” she said. 

Having a support system is an underutilized tool that driven students can benefit from greatly. Supportive relationships allow students to push themselves towards healthy success, rather than a predetermined path. 

Oftentimes, the identity of high achievers becomes wrapped up in their reputation of being among the best.

For academically-oriented students, anything that jeopardizes this identity creates inner turmoil. “Being the best at something is nearly impossible because there will always be someone that’s better than you or someone waiting for you to mess up,” Menon continued.

This effect is especially common in students who have been gifted throughout their whole lives. Transitioning from elementary school, where schoolwork is easily mastered, to high school, where classes pose new challenges, is difficult for gifted students to navigate. They can lose their sense of self when they lose their perfection.

“When you can’t do something,” explained Menon, “you automatically feel like a failure when you compare yourself to those who can.”

The purpose of education is to learn and understand subjects not already known, but high achievers focus on being outstanding at everything, even in their first attempts at learning something.

High achievers conceal their struggles with self-esteem or academics in fear of appearing vulnerable. Their innate desire to maintain an image of infallibility keeps them from off-loading their burdens. Over time, this significantly deteriorates their mental health, creating a new and unfortunate reality for many driven students.

Anxiety and depression, among other conditions, are two to three times more common in high achievers due to the prioritization of projecting a controlled life over addressing critical issues.

High achievers don’t often work through their challenges, making it difficult to avoid unhealthy self criticism and unnecessary stress in a comparison-filled environment.