Competitive Education Culture in Irvine

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“Everyone’s expected to have a hustle, or be a doctor here. Coming from a place like the indistinguishable suburbs of Illinois, I found it quite difficult to adjust to the new standards of how we hold ourselves.”-Julian Vogel, Senior at Portola

“The teachers tell us to make time for other things but don’t give us time for other things to be important. There is this on going message: ‘just push for 4 years and have fun in the future.’”-Senior at Irvine High

“It is difficult knowing you’re an average student, especially when you have parents or other classmates always trying to pry into your academic life. Since elementary school, my friends’ parents have asked me personal academic questions which have become a normal occurrence for me now.”-Senior at Irvine High

“I’ve lived in many different places...there are times I wish I could go back to a different school.”-Kaiya Paris, Senior at Irvine High

“There needs to be more culture appropriation around not fully understanding what you want from your future; as well as not being able to achieve the same things as others, because everyone is different and it’s important that we recognize that and let them thrive at what they do best”-Xander Brown, Senior at Irvine High

“I feel as if we are taught the material as if we are already supposed to know it, which in fact we don't. This leads to a lot of pressure put onto students and becomes stressful.”-Paige Donna, Junior at Irvine High

“I feel as if everyone is trying to be the best or the smartest and may not realize they’re putting others down.”-Paige Donna, Junior at Irvine High

“It’s all a cycle in a sense, colleges make it harder to get in, students work harder to get in, leaving a gap between those who got in and those who weren't good enough.”-Leslie Bui, Junior at Portola High

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