Pressure is always put on the ‘smart kids’ to always succeed: never fail, always help the kids that struggle, stay on top, don’t brag, flaunt some of your accomplishments…but not too much. When this is drilled into someone’s head all the time, they start to embody it and develop anxieties and imposter syndrome. It’s not healthy or helpful.
It’s driven into some students from a young age that they’re smart and their work is always so good. Perfectionist tendencies develop from a young age and never really go away, and it’s so ingrained in their psyche that they can’t give it up. They end up carrying these qualities all their life and in all different aspects. Quincie Starks, a Herriman High junior, DECA officer, AP student, girls tennis player, and pianist, says that “There are definitely aspects of myself and my life that I need to keep clean, separated, and perfected; otherwise I fall apart.” Perfectionism is something that is almost expected of many high-achieving students. When an anonymous student was asked about perfectionism, they said, “It’s one of those things that I always just expected of myself. I felt like my best is what I need to put into everything I do.”
Even with the perfectionism coursing through their veins, there’s always self-doubt that comes with it. Keira Stephany, Herriman High senior, AP student, student-athlete, and National Honors Society member, says that “There is definitely a point in school and athletics that you hit where you know you aren’t doing your best… but I make it work, and I try to hold myself to the same standard no matter the circumstance.” It can be difficult to overcome this self doubt that seems to never disappear and stay in the back of your mind. Other students don’t let the doubt get to them and push to make sure their work is always their best. Anonymous says that “If it’s not my best, I do it again…I’ll often review assignments I’ve done throughout the day in my head and later on I’ll make changes to work I did in class so it is perfect if I ever have to do it again.”
But this ‘smart kid syndrome’ doesn’t mean that these students can’t acknowledge and be proud of themselves and everything they have accomplished. Starks says, “I am very proud of my accomplishments but I also look back at them and always think of how I could’ve done better and pleased everyone.” Being proud should be one of the first things that students think of, not what they could have done better. Stephany says that “Knowing that I have accomplished a lot of my academic and athletic goals as a senior in high school brings me comfort and assurance that I will be able to accomplish every goal I have planned for the future.”
These students often get pushed to the side, disregarded as another smart kid in favor of focusing on others. But being an overachiever has its ups and downs. The feeling of finally accomplishing what you have been working for is like nothing else, but the feeling of knowing you could have done something better will stick with you. Acknowledge everything you do and be proud of what you do.
