Imagine juggling homework, your social life, and not one, not two, but 10 school related clubs. This is the reality for Tanmayee Gogineni (11), who plays significant roles in most of her clubs while also being a straight A student. With Gogineni participating in so many clubs, it’s a mix of impressive achievements to be proud of and a lot of stress to counter them. The real question is, how much is too much?
Gogineni’s schedule consists of a good amount of advanced placement classes, which can be a lot of stress especially when there’s AP tests at the end of the year for each class. In May, when students start taking AP exams, Gogineni will be taking a total of six AP exams, meaning all of her classes except her accounting class are AP classes.
For Gogineni, this is just putting her on the right track for what she wants in the future. Gogineni says she wants to go into finance in college and make enough money in the future to live comfortably and not have to worry too much about money. For her, these classes are paving the way for her next steps.
For a high school student, this can be a lot of time, stress, and energy put into school work not even including all of the extra curricular activities and clubs Gogineni participates in.
On top of all the stress that comes with Gogineni’s schedule, is there even time for a social life outside of school?
“Half the time I think about it, I’m like, ‘Wow, I really don’t have a balance’,” Gogineni said.
For Gogineni, it’s all mixed together. Her friends are the same people who she works alongside when she works on school work. Of course she still enjoys their company and has fun with them but usually it’s mixed with some academic activity. She says she hangs out with family friends often outside of school.
“It’s understandable because she has so much on her plate and so little time,” said Aiden Franco (11), one of Gogineni’s close friends.
There’s a lot of challenges to be faced by high achieving students. Balancing a demanding schedule with nearly all AP classes and an active social life is hard, but Gogineni proves it’s possible. With hard work, time management, and dedication there’s a lot you can do for yourself to succeed academically and socially.
