Winning More Than Medals: The Hidden Benefits of Academic Contests

I woke up this morning with one thought: what would be the most effective approach towards my next competition? Would it be enough to start practising several weeks in advance, or should I start revising today? After all, considering the involvement of the entire class, I should waste no time since I yearn for a place on the podium when the dust settles. I’m just one of the thousands of students in Moise Nicoară National College who anxiously await this time of the year when the school Olympiads and contests begin. Who doesn’t love to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in such national or international competitions? However, apart from fulfilling personal ambitions, are Olympiads beneficial to students?

On the one hand, everybody is familiar with the stereotypical implications of fostering competitiveness in young adults. They become ambitious, self-sufficient, prolific adults, used to working round the clock to achieve their goals. Nevertheless, there are numerous other untold benefits that long to be discovered and explored.

First and foremost, consistency is attainable in the long run. Once they have left home for university, most young adults struggle with idleness and lack of motivation, which is never the case for competitive high schoolers. They demonstrate no difficulty in working by themselves without outside stimuli.

Secondly, their skills flourish, and they demonstrate resilience when tackling increasingly challenging topics and handling larger workloads. Thanks to their previous experience with such workload, competitive students know exactly how to manage their way out of any challenges. Additionally, competitions notoriously boost self-confidence and enable the participant to evaluate himself accurately and set realistic goals.

Last but not least, contests are ideal opportunities for teenagers to develop quintessential life skills such as teamwork and emotion management. By attempting to compete against students their age, they undoubtedly learn to maintain their composure during stressful situations. Several Olympiads are specifically conceived to stimulate teamwork.

On the other hand, it is compulsory to remain aware of the dose of competitiveness inflicted on teenagers. The notorious saying “The more, the merrier.” is not applicable this time. Frequent, dreadful competitions put enormous pressure on the shoulders of any young adult. In some unfortunate cases, this academic pressure leads to the apparition of an injurious link in teenagers’ minds between their identity, self-esteem, and scholarly results. Consequently, a student’s disposition is often tied to his achievements, which might make him feel more hopeful, striving, and eager than before or dejected and worthless. Moreover, too much competitiveness can also spark rivalries among students, an aspect considerably less deliberated nowadays.

Ultimately, fostering competitiveness in schools is advisable, if not compulsory, as it encompasses an immeasurable variety of benefits indispensable to young adults. Nonetheless, consider both the quality and the quantity. Healthy competition brings about the best in everyone. If this article reaches its target audience, fellow students of this resourceful college, I hope I have successfully convinced you to participate in any Olympiads. In the end, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Nicoleta Balint 10 A