Many students live under peer pressure. This may be an opportunity for students to develop, but it can have damaging consequences for them. Pressure is powerful, and it is hard to resist. I interviewed five students when and how they are under peer pressure.

Grades

Students try to get good grades in school. Studying is something that students should definitely do at school, but there are also many students who are under a lot of stress and pressure from it. Students who study under peer pressure seem to be really stressed out. 

“Hi, my name is Ashley. I took a chemistry test last week and my score was lower than I thought. I studied really hard and I thought I would get over 95, but I got 78 and all my friends got 100 or 98. Whenever that happens, I feel a lot of pressure about studying. When my friends get much higher scores, even though I certainly studied harder than them.”

“Hi, I’m Christine. I feel pressured to study because of my parents. They want me to get high scores all the time. And when my friends get a higher score than me, my parents sometimes compare with them. So that’s why I feel peer pressure about studying and always try to be like friends who get high scores.”

Bullying

Bullying often occurs in school. Some students bully others who seem weaker than they are. This is an act that should never be done, and it has a big impact on not only the victim but also the perpetrator.

“Hi, I’m Peter. So, when I was in 9th grade, someone in my class told me to drink. I kept refusing and he was threatening me. I didn’t drink, but I was afraid of them who threatened me to drink, so I thought I’d have to drink just like them.”

Money

Students are not as easy to make money as adults. And many students get jobs after school. They enjoy spending money and this can also help them apply for a job after graduation.

“Hi, my name is Jay. I work at a cafe after school every Tuesday. And it’s been about three months since I started this job. My friend told me to get a job, so I started following her. Sometimes it’s hard, but I like it. And I want to keep working because It’s fun to have spending money.”

“Hi, I’m Conner. I got my driver’s license when I was in 11th grade, and I tried to buy a car. I was going to buy a Toyota, but my friend came to school on a Mercedes. He was so cool, and I wanted to buy a nice car, too. But I didn’t have money. Anyway, I bought a car, but I want to get a job later and buy a nice car.”

I interviewed five students about what they experienced under peer pressure. Peer pressure is not always a bad thing. Students can be stressed out by peer pressure, but it also gives an opportunity to learn something and develop further.