A competitive environment can have both positive effects (by giving students more motivation to increase study efficiency) and negative ones (by giving students an unnecessary amount of stress). I am of the opinion that competition brings out the best in students; however, this only comes on the condition that the student must know that a lack of competitive achievement is not a failure.
Competition is a great catalyst to improve oneself, especially in one’s studies. Through healthy competition, students are encouraged to reflect on their study methods relative to their peers and see where they are falling behind and where they are ahead competitively. This can lead to continuous self-improvement and develop a high level of self-reflection in their study journey.
However, competition, when executed unhealthily, can be a massive stress factor in the life of a student which slows down the learning process. Being competitive could lead students to constantly and relentlessly compare themselves to their peers. If there is a scenario where a student feels left behind to a point of desperation, the competitive spirit has become a toxic form of stress. In this case, I believe that stress comes from the idea that one cannot achieve what another person is achieving. Therefore, this creates a sense of failure. Competition can go this far and if not handled properly, the stress from feeling like a failure can feel overwhelming and this hampers the personal development of a student.
In conclusion, I believe that competition, given the right proportions of it, can greatly benefit and is necessary for a student’s personal advancement, but given the wrong portions of it, it will lead to a student’s excessive stress that will do them more harm than good.