Ava Saunders

Common App screen

In notoriously competitive Northern Virginia, high achievement is expected especially at the high school level when students are on the road to apply to college. At Hayfield specifically, classes and extracurriculars are geared towards a conventional path to success- this can often be overwhelming. 

Teaghan Jones, a Hayfield senior, believes that attending high school in Northern Virginia can be a competitive environment. 

“It’s become an expected thing to attend college. I don’t know anyone who didn’t apply to at least one college, and because of that it’s super anxiety filled on Virginia decision days for schools like UVA or Virginia Tech because if you didn’t get in you have to face all the people that did get in at school the next day,” Jones said. 

Jones is attending William and Mary this upcoming fall. 

“Going to school in Williamsburg, I do hope to escape the culture of overachieving that is so normalized here, but I also made the choice to attend an academically prestigious university. In highschool on the other hand, you don’t choose the amount of stress put on you,” said Jones. “You’re forced to either compete like crazy or fall behind- there’s no in between. “

Senior Melanie Slentz is committed to George Washington University in DC for the upcoming school year. 

“Going to DC, I hope there is still healthy competition but I hope to escape the competitive standards students hold themselves to here,” Slentz said. 

Rachel Tatum, a senior at Hayfield, is taking a more unconventional approach post high school than Jones. She plans to move abroad to Germany to pursue education after graduation. 

“Before I decided to go to Germany for university, I was planning on taking two years at NOVA and transferring to UVA- I definitely got more judgement for that. People trash on community colleges despite the great opportunities they provide for a low price tag,” Tatum said. 

About her revised college plan, people in Northern Virginia aren’t exactly judgmental, but confused. 

“When I explain to people I won’t be paying 75k a year for education people seem to understand my perspective about moving abroad more,” Tatum said. 

Despite the often competitive culture of Northern Virginia and FCPS, Tatum believes the county does implement some good policies that help students not feel too much stress. 

“I like the fact that the country doesn’t do class ranks, because being the 10th or 50th most academic student shouldn’t be the deciding factor in college admissions,” Tatum said.