At high-achieving schools, success is often easy to recognize. It appears in weighted grade point averages (GPAs), packed schedules, leadership positions and college acceptance posts shared each spring. Failure, however, is harder to define.

At Woodbridge High, the greater fear may not be failure at all, but being average.

For many students, achievement has become deeply connected to future goals. Success is not simply about passing classes or participating in activities, but about building a competitive future. In the minds of many students at Woodbridge High success boils down to a simple equation: college admissions plus competitive GPAs plus extracurriculars and future career preparation equals success. 

Junior Saanvi Kamara explained that students at Woodbridge High often define success through preparation for college and their long-term careers. 

“Students at Woodbridge usually define success by…doing what they need to in their classes or in their expected sports or other extracurriculars in order to get into a good college,” Kamara said. 

Senior Veda Deorukhkar views success as a more personal concept, shaped by individual goals rather than a single destination.

“[Success] just depends on the goal that you have and what you need to do to get there,” Deorukhkar said.

Even so, college admissions remain a major influence on how many students measure achievement. As admissions become increasingly selective, students often feel pressure to distinguish themselves academically.

Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses have become normalized in many academic pathways, especially in subjects traditionally associated with college preparation. The discussion and comparison of grades and academic performance following a test has become the usual for many students. 

However, comparison does not always appear openly competitive. Instead, it often becomes woven into everyday conversations about test scores, schedules and extracurriculars. 

Deorukhkar described Woodbridge High’s academic environment as competitive, but still somewhat supportive. 

“It’s almost like a friendly competition,” Deorukhkar said. “We are competitive with each other to some extent, but it’s not in a way that puts down other students.”

Competition may be friendly, but it makes students constantly aware of one another’s accomplishments. As conversations shift towards grades, schedules and extracurriculars, comparison can move from an external struggle to an internal one, especially when futures are on the line. 

“I think a lot of people gravitate [their focus] towards the grade side,” senior Victoria Chau said. 

Chau noticed many students prioritize academics because grades can feel more measurable and attainable than building an extensive list of extracurricular accomplishments. 

As academic competition intensifies, perceptions of what is considered “average” can also shift. At Woodbridge High, a high-achieving school, average no longer necessarily reflects ordinary performance. 

“I would say that…the average GPA is pretty high,” Kamara said. 

When students score in the high 90s on an exam, the accomplishment can be overshadowed by the knowledge that someone else scored a few points higher. Chau echoed a similar sentiment, explaining that many students underestimate their own accomplishments because the comparison culture has gotten them used to comparing themselves to their peers.  

“Most of the people [at Woodbridge High] would consider themselves average even if they’re not,” Chau said. 

At a school where high grades, advanced classes and extensive extracurriculars are common, students may begin measuring themselves against increasingly accomplished peers.

A high GPA becomes disappointing when compared to an even higher one, while when standing alone, it may show “success.” The result is that achievements that might be considered exceptional elsewhere can feel ordinary. 

“I don’t see a lot of people…going around like, ‘I’m number one, I’m number one,’” Chau said. 

Definitions of “average” shift upward, making it increasingly difficult for students to recognize their achievements when excellence becomes the expectation rather than the exception. 

While students may not openly compete for recognition, the pressure to build a standout resume extends beyond academics. Deorukhkar observed that some students pursue certain activities primarily because they strengthen college applications rather than because of personal interest. 

“I’ve seen people kind of do certain activities to be performative in certain ways just to look good for college applications,” Deorukhkar said.

The pressure to stand out can also influence the reasons students choose certain classes. Rather than selecting courses primarily for interest or for the goal of learning, some students view advanced courses as strategic steps toward college admissions. 

As AP and honors courses become increasingly common among college-bound students, some students begin viewing advanced classes less as opportunities for exploration and more as strategic steps in the admissions process. Now AP and honors labeled classes are in high demand due them becoming the norm. This norm feeds a student’s anxiety about college, forcing them into advanced courses because they fear those courses are their only path to a good college. 

When it comes to AP classes students have shifted from prioritizing learning to prioritizing the perceived value of the class. 

“There’s a pressure when they see the AP label that they need to go for it, even if it’s not right for their schedule or for their major,” Chau said. “They don’t really think of it as like a class to learn from, it’s more credit than anything.”

Still, neither student described the culture of comparison and competition as entirely negative. Comparison can also positively motivate students to work harder and challenge themselves academically. 

Yet constant comparison can gradually reshape how students measure their accomplishments. When high achievement becomes normalized, students may begin to view exceptional as expected, raising the bar from exceptional to unattainable. 

Kamara explained that increasing college selectivity contributes to the pressure many students feel to exceed average expectations. 

“It’s more and more important to do things like get awards or be really good at things relating to your future study more than before,” Kamara said. 

This same idea becomes especially visible during college admissions season. 

Deorukhkar has noticed students discussing college decisions and comparing outcomes as acceptance letters begin to arrive. As students share where they were accepted, rejected or waitlisted, many naturally compare their own results to those of their peers.

In competitive academic environments, the definition of success often continues to rise. As expectations grow, the meaning of “average” changes alongside them. Students who earn strong grades, take advanced courses and dedicate themselves to extracurricular activities may still view themselves as ordinary when surrounded by similarly accomplished peers.

Perhaps the challenge is no longer simply succeeding, but recognizing that achievement does not lose value because excellence has become common.