For the past year and a half in high school, I’ve been towards the goal of an Ivy League School. However, is it really worth it? I’m currently taking AP Chem and AP Bio as well as precalc as a sophomore, but after some of the stress of workload in addition with swim, I can only imagine how much harder my junior year will be. I plan on taking 4 APs next year and the thought of more standardized tests and grades is burdening. So I was thinking, just because you go to an Ivy League, it doesn’t mean you’re any more credible. Furthermore, you’d end up as a small fish in a big pond of competitive fish. So really, is studying hard worth it in the end? Wouldn’t it just be easier to go to my instate college, where I’d be close to family yet still get a good education? Im constantly stuck between the idea of wanting to go to an Ivy League but also not wanting to leave family and having to spend more effort in only maybe getting a shot of getting into a good school.
It sounds like you would benefit from reducing your courseload and/or your time spent on extracurriculars. That doesn’t mean you have to give up on attending a selective college. You can make a list of reaches, matches, and safeties; apply to them, and see what happens.
You should study hard because that’s part of getting a good education, not simply because you want to get into a particular college. Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to study constantly and be stressed out all the time.
What state is it? Have you considered options other than your state schools and the Ivy League?
There are hundreds of great colleges between state school and ivy league. Reduce your APs so you can do well and focus on the coarses you take and still enjoy high school. Prep for the ACT or SAT in the summer.
If meeting minimum admission criteria is affecting your sleep, ruining your social life, messing up your educational experience, dictating your course selection and ECs and you are not happy then you shouldn’t go that route.
There are so many good school where you can cruise in, get significant aid/merit, decent education, relaxed social life and on top of that you’ll enjoy your highschool and college years without stress of competition, finances and being away from friends/family.
Do what works best for YOU, go where you’ll find best fit for YOU. There are many roads which leads to success, Ivy isn’t the only route.