Being a student in 2024 is very different from being a student in the previous generations. Now as a student, we have millions of more resources improving our education and opportunities. However, the new improvements create more responsibilities. Now as students, we are expected to work, volunteer, be involved in extracurricular activities, and get the best grades. 

But it feels as if there is always a trade off. I can choose responsibility and forget about the actual fun from being a student such as sports games and school events. Or I can choose the fun and fall behind in volunteering hours, saving money, and creating more chances for the future.

Senior year is supposed to be chill and fun—at least that is what I was told. But I find myself in a sinking hole. I wake up before the sun rises to go to school. After school, I have an extracurricular and then go straight to work. By the time I get out of work, I go straight home to do my homework. In the midst of this, I miss football games because of work. I perform poorly on tests because of little sleep. I can't do my hobbies because of being busy. Yet, I need to prioritize my responsibilities.

If I don’t prioritize responsibilities, maybe I can go to the football games, maybe I can perform well on tests, and maybe I can get good sleep. But, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the fun of senior year. The stress would just pile up. The missing assignments, stress college funds, and limits on opportunities. 

The reality of being a student in 2024 is being able to balance. Because if we do not have balance, we will inevitably fall. I choose the assignments that are most important to the class grade. I only go to the important school events. I pick up every work shift in between school and events. But in order to have balance, I have to give up something: sleep, sports, quality time.

The constant balancing diminishes the true purpose of being a student. I am supposed to go to school to learn. However, I do not go to school to learn; I go to school in order to get the best college application. The focus of school is changing from the past. At the center of being a student now is the art of balancing.