Enough: The Harmful Pressures of College Admissions

Are we robbing children of their childhood in the pursuit of college readiness?

News articles and research studies continue to highlight a disturbing shift in education—one that prioritizes competition over curiosity, performance over play, and résumé-building over personal growth. As I read through these reports, I felt a mix of dismay, fear, and frustration.

This isn’t just about college admissions—this is about our children, young people who rely on adults to guide them, nurture them, and help them discover their true potential. Instead of protecting their childhood, we are pushing them into a relentless race for achievement, stripping away the time they need to explore, dream, and simply be kids.

Childhood is Disappearing

Not long ago, play was considered the "work" of children—a time of discovery, creativity, and self-mastery. But today, childhood is increasingly defined by college readiness programs and academic pressure that begins before elementary school.

Is Your Child College-Ready… in First Grade?

Publications like The Washington Post and The New York Times have raised alarming questions:
📌 “Is Your Infant College Ready?”
📌 “Is Your First Grader College Ready?”

These articles highlight six-year-olds sketching college mascots, choosing future schools, and filling out mock college applications. The pressure to succeed—before a child even understands what college is—has reached ridiculous extremes.

Will SAT vocabulary lists soon be essential listening for infants in utero?

The Mental Health Crisis in College Freshmen

This loss of childhood has serious consequences. According to reports:

📉 Current college freshmen demonstrate the lowest levels of emotional well-being ever recorded (Education Week).
😞 More first-year students than ever report feeling depressed (The New York Times).

And it’s no surprise.

The college admissions process has consumed students' lives. High schoolers are no longer encouraged to explore, reflect, or develop their personal values. Instead, they are expected to:

✔ Build impressive résumés starting in 9th grade
✔ Excel in academics, sports, music, arts, AND community service
✔ Earn college credits before graduation
✔ Perfect their test scores, essays, and extracurriculars

Nowhere in this relentless “checklist for success” is there space for students to simply breathe, dream, or grow organically.

The Cost of an Achievement-Obsessed Culture

Instead of fostering curiosity, we are conditioning students to perform. They are being molded to fit a rigid definition of success, one that is:

❌ Vague – What does "success" even mean?
❌ Unrealistic – There will always be someone with higher scores, more awards, and more accomplishments.
❌ Harmful – When students tie their self-worth to an unreliable admissions process, they graduate feeling like they are never enough.

By the time they reach college, many students lack a true sense of identity because their formative years have been spent pursuing what "looks good" rather than what excites them.

It's Time to Say: ENOUGH.

📢 Enough pressure.
📢 Enough test prep.
📢 Enough résumé-building at the cost of childhood.
📢 Enough messaging that tells students their efforts are never enough.

As parents, educators, counselors, and admissions professionals, we must stand up and push back against the toxic culture of achievement at all costs.

We need to:

✅ Encourage self-discovery over résumé-padding
✅ Support exploration over rigid planning
✅ Prioritize well-being over unrealistic expectations

Because our children deserve better.

Because they are enough.