Stress at MX: How Does It Compare To Other Elite Private Schools?

Investigate stress levels at Middlesex compared to similar boarding schools. Are the all-nighters spent on essays at MX really legitimate? Do students across other schools share the same struggles, and if so, how do they cope?

All-nighters, desperate pleas for extensions and skipped meals, have long been core tenants of the Middlesex experience. While some students cope better than others, Middlesex is undeniably a stressful environment. Are sleepless nights and frantic rushes against due dates exclusive to Middlesex? What does the workload look like at other New England boarding schools? 

In a conversation with Middlesex students on campus, Linda Wang ‘27 relates: “the weekly workload at MX often overrides time I have for everything else — especially other extracurriculars and time to just…chill.” Comparatively, Jeannie Kang, a current sophomore at Phillips Academy, affirms that “while there are notions about Andover being an academically all-consuming school, students generally find time for themselves throughout the week.” These two starkly contrasting reflections on academic pressure unavoidably raise a question: is Middlesex just inherently more demanding than other boarding schools? 

Upon further reflection, however, Jeannie Kang relates a more nuanced outlook on academic pressure in prestigious and demanding institutions like Andover. “Phillips Academy, like any boarding school, allows students to pick up stress on a spectrum – whether through course choices or the number of extracurricular activities one chooses to engage in. On net, Andover’s academic structure isn’t actually too demanding – serving as a 5-class day school with reasonable work-load moderation.” However, beyond this seemingly euphoric outlook on work lies a greater level of pressure. 

Both Jeannie Kang and Lero Phiri, Choate Rosemary Hall ‘27, relate an underlying issue of social pressure at Andover and Choate. Lero Phiri argues that, “while Choate itself doesn’t expect too much from me… the expectation to do a lot is embedded in most students at Choate. These expectations often translate into my own internalized expectations of what I should be doing in my free time.” Lero concludes that living up to the expectations and the caliber of his peers is equally as pressurizing as the class programs themselves. 

While Middlesex is comparatively just as demanding–if not more structurally stressful than these other boarding schools–there is a largely unanimous consensus on campus that MX is a promotive environment. David Yang ‘26 relates that “while students at MX are certainly well-accomplished, I’ve never felt pressure to live up to those same expectations.” Similarly, Sixing Wang ‘26 asserts that “everyone is generally very supportive of each other’s personal talents and successes.” Most importantly, students generally relate that while stress is undeniably prevalent, support structures on campus help them through much of the hardship. 

Middlesex, with a similar number of course credits as Andover and Choate, requires an additional set of mandatory credits in the Arts and Humanities; however, faculty and advisors alike understand the notoriously demanding nature of these programs. When asked about his outlook on support structures on campus, David Hernandez ‘27 refers to his “advisor Mr. Lobato and wonderful dorm parents” who help him through “even the smallest daily struggles at Middlesex”. Undeniably, there are highly reliable support outlets at Middlesex to combat what seems like daily struggles against stress and pressure. 

Ultimately, there is, of course, a recognition that Middlesex is a comparatively stressful school – adopting an academic curriculum and schedule which seem more stressful than the peer schools. However, beyond inherent academic pressures, there is also an appreciation of the positive community culture of the school. What may seem like individual pressures and stresses are shared struggles – struggles which students and faculty alike embrace together as a supportive community. Perhaps that’s part of the Middlesex experience—alongside every Middlesex student pulling an all-nighter is an equally sleep deprived neighbor, and together, we help each other navigate our challenges.  

Bryan Dong