If you were to be referred to as average, you most likely would feel insulted. However, should average be a negative word? For instance, being average academically can mean having a mix of A’s and B’s and maybe even a C, and for most high school students, that’s perfectly fine.

Feeling a weight of expectations on your shoulders happens as a student. Whether it be from peers, teachers, parents, or even yourself. Sometimes expectations can be in the form of judgment. Like getting a grimace from a friend when sharing your test score. Or feeling disappointed with a teacher for making a mistake on an assignment.

Junior Natalie Sheppard says she feels a lot of pressure to be excellent at school and that she sets high expectations for herself. Some of these are, keeping “all A’s for all my classes, and as long as I am able to do that, I just do my best on tests.”

While high schoolers stand out with their GPA, grades, and packed AP schedules, average students take a more balanced approach to maintaining healthy stress levels and a good social life. While one is a little more challenging than the other, both are different paths to growth and fulfillment.

Especially being in AP exam season, you can feel a lot of pressure either from yourself or others to perform well. Achieving a 5 or a 4 on the exam is difficult to achieve and requires intense preparation. So it’s important to remember that your score doesn’t define you, and not getting an amazing score doesn’t hurt anything.

On the other hand, Mia Winters feels that WHS is accepting of all academic levels. Such as students who want to take AP classes vs. those who don’t. Winters notes that teachers treat all students equally and even provide extra help to those who need more support than others.

While those who are very successful academically are admirable, most students are not maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Chances are, someone else in the class is also confused, or didn’t get the score they wanted on the test. Being average is not a bad thing, as long as you are challenging yourself and giving it your all.