At Niles North, if you talked to an average friend group, you’d likely hear the voices of ethnically, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse, but above all, involved students. They might be discussing recent wins with their sports team, planning events for their club, juggling responsibilities for an honors society, or comparing music they’ll perform in an upcoming concert. Ask a senior if they filled in more than five activity sections on the Common Application, and they’d probably shrug and say, “Yeah?” as if it were nothing special, just expected.

As someone who identifies with this culture of involvement, whether it’s writing for this paper or playing club soccer, I’ve noticed that nearly everyone around me is doing multiple things at once. I started wondering: is this just a Skokie thing? As a result of available resources, after all, Niles North is relatively well funded compared to the surrounding working-class area. Or is it a reflection of American culture as a whole, a lifestyle built around doing as much as possible in as little time? After some thought and research, I’ve realized it’s largely the latter. American culture encourages, and almost expects, this type of busy, involved lifestyle.

This emphasis on constant involvement made me curious about the effects of our “busy culture.” In American high schools, being busy isn’t always a personal choice; it’s often what’s expected. Students take multiple high-level courses, join clubs, play sports, and participate in extracurriculars not necessarily because they want to, but because everyone around them is doing it and it feels like the norm. As senior Shifa Mahmood put it, “I have never felt like it’s weird or extra to be involved in so much. I like it, but it also takes a lot of time.”

On top of that, the college admissions process reinforces this expectation: applications reward students who show involvement in many activities, making it feel necessary to pack schedules to stay competitive.This constant participation can make it harder to fully commit to any one activity. In running a club myself, I’ve noticed it has its own negative effects. It can also create pressure to overextend oneself just to keep up. While being involved has clear benefits, it can make collaboration and respect for one’s own limits more difficult because students are juggling demands and expectations coming from all directions. 

In addition, busyness comes with its own downsides. When students are constantly trying to meet expectations, there is often little time left for reflection, self-care, or meaningful connections. Schedules packed with classes, sports, and extracurriculars can leave students feeling stressed or disconnected from themselves and others. Many end up filling their little free time with easy distractions, like social media, streaming, or other forms of entertainment, just to cope with the pressure. This cycle makes it difficult to prioritize well-being or to fully engage in the activities they are involved in. Finding balance and intentionally making time for health, rest, and real connection can help students break out of this cycle and make their involvement more meaningful rather than just obligatory.

Although this “busy mentality” is not uniquely American, it is not present in every part of the world. From my own experience interacting with coaches and teachers of different backgrounds, I’ve noticed some interesting differences in how commitment is viewed. For example, my club soccer coaches, who are of Eastern European descent, seem to expect that players are fully devoted to soccer and little else. Telling them you have another commitment that prevents you from attending practice or a game is often met with little understanding. Scheduling practices or games late on school nights, without considering other obligations, is common. 

This approach didn’t necessarily bother me, but it highlighted a cultural difference: in their environment, it seems normal to be fully committed to one or two activities, whereas American students often juggle many. To them, the fact that their American players are involved in so many other things might be surprising or even confusing. Of course, this is just my observation and may not reflect the experiences of all European or internationally cultured coaches and athletes, but it helped me begin to understand how cultural expectations around commitment can vary.

Observing this difference made me think more broadly about why American students take on so much and what it means for our well-being.This mentality is shaped by available resources, the privilege of being able to do many things at once, and American culture itself. In the end, it’s hard to say whether it is entirely good or bad. On one hand, being involved allows students to be well-rounded and gain a wide range of experiences. On the other hand, it can lead to over-extension, exhaustion, and a lack of true commitment. 

There isn’t necessarily a single key to success, but a good first step is recognizing just how much you are involved. Because this level of engagement is so common, many people don’t think much of it, but it is impressive and worth acknowledging. It’s important to make time for your responsibilities, but even more important to make time for yourself. Being involved is valuable, but it only works if you also take care of your own well-being.