In today’s society teens face a great deal of pressure regarding their futures, whether it’s grades, classes, tests or sports. They’re expected to have their lives figured out and know what they’re going to major in at 18, far before their brains are fully developed. With the start of a new school year rushing at us, The Mentor editorial board discussed this issue and came to the conclusion that high schoolers are asked to make decisions they aren’t prepared or capable of making.

There’s a reason college students change their major time and time again, no matter how much you try to prepare yourself in high school you can’t be ready to chose a career path after four years of core classes and a few electives that may or may not be relevant to your subject of interest in college. Too much pressure is placed on adolescents during a time that should be about discovering your interests and who you wish to become. Instead of being given this opportunity we’re pressured to have a job, participate in extracurricular activities and maintain a 4.0. This should be a time of trying new things and soul searching before you have to spend thousands of dollars on a degree.

If students had some weight lifted off their shoulders and were given more time to explore options and career paths instead of making these years about standardized test scores and appearing well-rounded on a college application, they would be far more capable of making the decisions they’re expected to make.