Competition shouldn’t be a strange concept to anybody who goes to Uni. As students, we engage in competition almost year round, whether it is athletic, intellectual, or even musical.

I myself am currently preparing for music and math competitions. Throughout the year, I will probably compete in many other games, meets, and contests. Even though there are obvious benefits to competition, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the pressure to do well in a very diverse set of subjects.

Serious competition can be good for a person. On top of possible monetary rewards and the pride in winning, it also helps improve our attitude and mentality. Athletes would be much more likely to train rigorously if there were a big game coming up than if the coach simply told them to do so.

On the academic side, preparing for a contest that involves something along the lines of taking a test give people an incentive to review certain material and solidify their understanding of it or even learn new things.

Competition also inspires us to excel at whatever subject is being competed over. If there are several equally talented individuals, the one who tries the hardest to elevate himself or herself will be the one who wins. It’s this kind of competition that helps us constantly improve.

Of course, there are many things that should not be taken in excess. Among these are candy, drugs, and competition. I admit, it can be quite invigorating when you get your first few wins and it is very easy to use that energy to catapult yourself into the next competition.

But when you are entering several competitions at once, there is an incredibly high level of stress. Not only is time taken away from your other activities, but there is also a constant feeling of dread looming over you as the date approaches.

This might just be me feeling bad about impending competitions, but I think we should try to take it easy every once in a while.