To most getting all A’s is to most just praise for doing well in school, but to many students it has become one of the main ways they see their own self-worth. Equating these numbers on a test to their own self-worth comes at the cost of their mental well-being.

What Is Academic Validation and Where Does It Come From?

Academic validation is overlooked and affects so many students across the world. In simple terms it is the feeling of your self-worth being linked to your academic success. 

Approximately 1 in every 5 teenagers become depressed before the age of 17 due to this. There are many different reasons for a teenager to become depressed with everything going on in their life, but, as previously stated, one of the leading causes is the need for perfect scores on every assignment, test, and quiz.

Part of being smart and getting all A’s all the time stems from the glorification of the straight A students portrayed in movies and TV shows. Some of the most common academic role models are Rory Gilmore from “Gilmore Girls”, Hermione from “Harry Potter”, and Elle Woods from “Legally Blonde”.

All of these characters pride themselves on being smart, getting good grades all the time, and succeeding in their careers. When teens see this success in such characters and shows it is an inspiration and motivation for them to do the same, but when does it become too much.

How Can Academic Validation Affect Your Mental Health?

Academic validation is a good trait to have in moderation. A lot of people do well under the pressure of something turning out perfect. However, when you’re under constant pressure it can take a toll on your mental health. Academic validation has been shown to correlate with things such as anxiety, substance use, and constant burn-outs.

Kate Sweeney, a sophomore at Pentucket high school, explained why she feels academic pressure. She said, “My one moral is to succeed in life and I feel that good grades is my only way to reach that.”

Kate, just like other students, believes that getting consistently good grades they constantly crave is the only way to success. This idea can stem from many different reasons, but most commonly society has taught us the only way to achieve your dreams is through education and getting a good job out of it.

When asked if she has ever felt academic pressure Helen Brien, a sophomore at Pentucket high school said, “Yes, I think that when others get better grades than me it pushes me to want to do better, but the setbacks are hard on my mental well-being.”

So many students are exhausted by the pressure they feel to “keep up” with friends or classmates. Classmates who are in higher level courses, idols, and sometimes even the idealized versions of themselves push them to do better, almost feeling like they are constantly in a race to be the best. 

It is important to know that numbers on a test are not what defines you, and the pressure to be the best is less important than doing your best.

How Do You Succeed Without the Need for Academic Validation?

There are many strategies that can be used in order to get rid of the desire for perfect grades.

Here are the three easiest to take your mind off the need of academic success:

First, setting specific goals for yourself. 

Almost every student at one time or another has found themselves swamped with school work and became stressed out because they want to do well in school. Time management and sorting out your work to get it done without having to scramble is a great way to relieve yourself from some of the stress from school.

Second, be sure to prioritize your happiness.

If you do not feel good about what you are doing you will not succeed. In order to succeed you need to be happy, the best way to do this is make sure you take time for yourself and what makes you happy.

The last strategy is being resilient. 

Resilience is the biggest and most important part of success. Students are extremely hard on themselves when they receive a grade they are not proud of or does not meet their standards. 

High school kids range from the span of 14 to 18 years old. It is impossible for anybody to be perfect especially in these adolescent years. Allow yourself to be human and remember that nobody is perfect, so give yourself some grace in order to overcome these obstacles.

Teaching yourself to see room for improvement where you used to see failure is not an easy switch to make in your brain, but if you understand that it is inevitable to make mistakes you can change your perspective on these setbacks making it easier to come back from them.