Exhausted by Comparisons

It is normal to compare - it’s human nature. You just have to learn to control it.

Don’t compare yourself in terms of achievements - compare yourself with what you can do. If you think you can do what you’re capable of, then you’re fine. Otherwise, there will be a lot of us here getting stressed out because Tom Brady already won 7 Super Bowl Rings at 45 years old and I think none of us have won any even though some of us are older than him.

You don’t know what your friends are experiencing. There’s no guarantee that they are not struggling. There’s no guarantee that they are doing things because they want to (instead of trying to tick all the boxes for college applications).

You will get into a good college and only you (not your parents, not your teacher(s), not your friend(s), not a bunch of publications) can decide whether it is going to be good for you. You will decide what you want to do, how well you want to do things and that will should be your mindset.

You mentioned that you didn’t have any sports, didn’t lead any clubs, etc. Are you working outside of school, are you in any clubs, etc? Or are you just spending your time studying? If so, there is nothing wrong with that (this definitely doesn’t make you less than the others) although I encourage you to find activities that might pique your interest.