PROBLEMS WITH COLLEGE
School isn’t making us smarter, it’s making us stressed.
Last week, I found myself staring at my laptop at nearly 2 a.m., trying to finish an assignment I barely understood. I had already spent hours jumping between homework for different classes, studying for a test, and checking my phone every few minutes just to stay awake.
By the time I finally submitted everything, I didn’t feel like I had learned anything—I just felt exhausted. Moments like this have become normal for me, and for many students around me, which makes me wonder if school is really helping us grow or just pushing us to our limits without real understanding—something that is a serious problem in today’s education system.
As a student balancing multiple classes and responsibilities myself, I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way. Most students I know are chronically overwhelmed by constant academic pressure. There is always another project, another test, or another deadline appearing with little time to recover.
Even when we try to stay organized, it often feels like we are just trying to keep up rather than truly understanding the material. School now feels less like a place of learning and more like a constant race to meet deadlines. What concerns me most is that “being busy” is often mistaken for success, even when no real learning is taking place.
If you are constantly working, exhausted, and stressed, people assume you are succeeding. But I have learned that this idea is deeply misleading. I have stayed up late finishing assignments on time, only to forget most of the material a few days later.
That does not feel like real learning—it feels like temporary memorization that disappears after the exam. In all of this, mental health is rarely taken seriously in a meaningful way. Stress and burnout are common among students at San Jose State University, where many balance heavy course loads along with jobs and personal responsibilities.
To assist students in coping with anxiety and academic pressure, the institution provides resources such as SJSU Student Wellness Center and SJSU Counseling and Psychological Services. However, the increasing demand for these services reflects how widespread student stress has become across campus.
According to campus reports and student surveys, many college students regularly experience high levels of stress and anxiety related to academic pressure. Burnout and chronic stress have become so common that exhaustion is now seen as a sign of success. Instead of being given the time and space to genuinely learn and maintain their well-being, this creates a culture where students are expected to push through constant pressure.
For this reason, I believe schools need to completely rethink how they define success. Instead of focusing on how much students can memorize under pressure, education should prioritize understanding and long-term learning.
That could mean fewer assignments with deeper learning, or giving students more time to fully grasp material instead of rushing through it. The issue is not the teachers themselves. Many of them are under the same pressure to meet standards and move quickly through content.
The real problem is the system itself, which prioritizes productivity and grades over understanding, and treats exhaustion as normal. School should challenge students, but it should not overwhelm or break them.
Right now, too many of us are learning how to survive stress instead of learning how to truly understand ideas. If this is what education has become, then we need to question what we are actually being prepared for. If school continues like this, we may graduate with good grades—but without the knowledge, balance, or well-being required to truly succeed not just in school, but in life.
Sanjana Vijaya Kumar | SJ State
