Balancing a Teenage Schedule

So many of us have a busy schedule. We go to shcool, do our homework and chores when we are home, have clubs, do a sport for school or outside of school, etc. All of these things not only make having a social life hard, but they also make time for ourselves nearly impossible.
When asking some of my classmates why they take on such a  difficult load during high school, they answer that it looks good on a college application. What most teens who are college bound aren't considering is the fact that you don't have to kill yourself with stress. There needs to be a perfect balance. Colleges dont want to see that you do all of these extra curricular activities but cant keep up with your grades at the same time.
Colleges dont just look for you to challenge yourself...they look to see if you know what your limits are; if you can have a balance of school, extra curricular activities, and life itself. If you lighten your load a little by dropping a few things then you arent only going to excel in the things colleges are looking for, but you will also have some time to understand the life going on around you.
Too many people spend their teenage years wrapped up in what a college will want instead of what they want. They are so focused on what they consider a prize that they dont notice they are missing out on life. By finding that balance in your schedule you can can round out who you are and not have to be as stressed through some of the best years of your life.