I’ve learned a lot of lessons in my first year of attending a competitive prep school, ranging from where underclassmen are or aren’t supposed to sit, which shortcuts to take on campus when I’m running late to class, and even how to use Microsoft Excel (which admittedly was more confusing than the rest). At boarding school, life moves fast, and the many lessons I’ve learned along the way are probably the main reason why my journey at school has become less daunting.
With that said, there was one thing my family members, friends, and older classmates had tried to teach me repeatedly that went in one ear and out the other. It was the idea that once I entered high school, I would need to sacrifice certain things to prioritize “more important” factors in my life. To most, this would probably sound entirely reasonable. But for some reason, it seemed terrifying to me. Before starting my first year at Andover, I had already given up gymnastics, a sport I had competed in for ten years to have the full “Andover Experience”. Quitting gymnastics was not only a tough decision for fresh-out-of-middle-school me, but it also changed my life drastically. Gymnastics had not only been a sport I loved, but it had been the thing that shaped who I was and the place where I found many of my friends. If giving that up was so difficult, how would I be able to make similar sacrifices once I started freshman year?
My peers, teachers, and advisors insisted I “wouldn’t be able to do it all” once school ramped up. In student life at Andover, there’s a phenomenon I like to call the “Four S Focus”. The “Four S” priorities are as follows; studies, social life, special talents (ex. sports, instruments, etc.), and sleep. The idea is that during the school year, even the most successful students can only manage to focus on three out of the four priorities. I didn’t want to believe it was true, but as soon as my classes increased in workload and the athletic season started fall term, I started to see the phenomenon manifest in both my life and those of my peers. I went from leaving campus at 7:30 PM, finishing my homework at home, and getting to bed by 9:30 PM to leaving at 9:00 PM, doing the same routine, and getting to bed at 11:00 PM.
I spent the extra hours on campus playing sports and socializing because I desperately wanted to find friends. Even after I had found tight-knit groups on campus, I still left late and went to bed much later because I believed that sleep was the easiest sacrifice for me to make. Despite knowing this was unhealthy, I kept a similar routine throughout the year. Unfortunately, I think many of my peers have the same mindset. Therefore, a question remains; why?
As I started writing this article, I wondered whether the phenomenon remained in students’ lives for all four years of high school. In my opinion, it does. It may be the most prominent during freshman year since entering students are trying to juggle their classes, extracurriculars, and the challenge of making new friends. However, I think as students progress through their time in such a rigorous high school, they still struggle with balancing friendships, passions, workload, and physical well-being. The “Four S Focus” is detrimental to student life, but since this very community is built on the idea that you are your achievements, who wouldn’t trade a good night’s sleep for a chance at success?
