As humans, it is natural for us to harbour a spirit of competitiveness with our peers. This spirit of competition is what has actually allowed humanity to progress this much; as it is rightfully said, competition is a key driver of innovation and has helped the human race get better, be it in products or services. However, there is also the other side of the competition, one which isn't mentioned all that much, which isn't so bright, and one that doesn't promise innovation, rather it stifles creativity and encourages competitors to resort to cheating or underhanded means of success. In this blog post, we will talk about the psychological consequences of competition in academics. While competition is seen as healthy in academics, more recently, the adverse effects of competition have begun surfacing, showing the dark side of competition and how the negative effects deteriorate the mental health of students. This is all very alarming, so let's dive deeper into this adverse effect of competition on students.
But first, let's quickly discuss the overview of academic competition, especially in Pakistan.
Academics are the place where competition is most glaringly obvious, aside from industry and business. Both aspects of life host some cutthroat competition, with students often trying to one-up each other in order to gain an advantage in the grand scheme of education. Whether it's for admission to their university of choice, to ensure their placement in a test, or for the top position within their class, competition is supposed to bring out the best in students, allowing them to work harder to achieve their desired results. The same goes for students studying at every level, whether in college or in university or during their higher studies, during their master's or their doctorate; competition is what brings out the best in students worldwide, and certainly in Pakistan.
However, the other side of competition in academics rarely gets discussed in detail and in length. The fact that some students take it too much to heart and make it their obsession to achieve high grades. While hard work and determination is always valued and appreciated, over-competitiveness gets too much in the way of actually making a difference while studying, and many students make the classic error of focusing too much on the competition rather than the studies itself. And that contributes to the problems at hand.
Furthermore, a new and even more debilitating effect of competition on academics is also beginning to take hold. The fact that students take these things too seriously gets in the way of their mental health and proceeds to affect them negatively. The famous quote 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' fits quite succinctly here; students tend to sit at their tables all day and partake in no physical activity. They keep staring at books and keep writing down, not making any efforts towards their physical well-being. This has been shown to cultivate quite a negative effect or students and their mental health. For starters, when you spend the good majority of the day huddled over a book and your body does not get access to enough exercise or bodily effort, it starts to affect the mind as well. This is why some students may notice a drop in their academic performance if they start spending too much time simply studying.
On the other hand, competition may also incentivise some ill-advised students to take shortcuts to succeed or win at a certain stage. For example, none of us are strangers to the issue of cheating in Pakistan's academic skyline. While some of us may not do it, all of us have seen students utilise underhanded approaches to acing a test or passing a paper. That, too, stems from the negative culture surrounding competition. When students feel like they can't measure up to the top performer in their class and feel the need to validate themselves with a grand academic win, they may resort to cheating, which further beats the purpose of having competition in the first place. This means that this emphasis on competition ends up doing more damage than the good it was supposed to do.
In the end, just remember that each person has their own pace to pick, and your time to shine will come. Cheating or engaging in baseless competition with somebody will only ruin your life, not theirs.
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