The teenagers of my generation are beyond overwhelmed with the pressure of getting into college and making themselves stand out. My generation is constantly stressed out about raising ACT/SAT test scores as to look smarter than others when applying to colleges. Should these tests really differentiate one student from another? Our society is so caught up on grades and test scores, while in reality, our grades in school do not necessarily predict how successful we will be in the future. Not everything should be graded in life. The pressure not only stems from the competition between our peers, but from our parents who had it a lot easier when it came to getting into a college or university-our generation is a victim of our parents.

I captured the emotions of my friend, Leah Simanovich, who rolls her eyes at all of the work she has to do for her classes as a senior at Hall High School. Clearly, she is stressed-out and has a lot more studying to do than necessary. Kids are lacking sleep and energy during the school day because of the countless hours of studying they have to do in order to perform their best on tests.

In the second photograph, Sylvie Pidto, another senior at Hall, takes a seat against the row of lockers during a long and stressful day at school. She hides her face behind her homework folder which portrays her struggle to get through the day. Lastly, my friend, Cole Connelly, is stuck inside on a nice and sunny afternoon, correcting his ACT practice test which his parents forced him to do. His U.S. Marine Corps shirt portrays that not everyone wants to go to college, but we do not always have a choice because of our parents constant encouragement to get into college.