During my past seven months as a Danish exchange student, I have not heard one single student say, “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.”

Instead students say, “I want to go to Stanford,” and then assume the right career path will happen after they get there.

American students pursue achievements as opposed to finding a career that will make them happy. This is in contrast to Danish students, who pursue happiness.

As an exchange student at Redwood, one thing stands out to me: the stressed students of Marin County need to learn from the small, happy country of Denmark.

However, Redwood students have impressed me with their work ethic. Many students spend their lunch time in the library doing homework, likely a contributing factor to Redwood’s above average academic scores in comparison to the rest of the country.

Though Redwood students score relatively high on standardized tests, I have some concerns about students’ chronic stress. The cost of the academic success is a high level of stress. I see students constantly worrying about college because they know how competitive the admissions process can be and the heavy financial burden it brings, causing Students to forget the purpose of education and what their educational motives are.

In my home country, the majority of students are not concerned about college until their last year of gymnasium (the Danish equivalent of a senior year and two years of college). Although they care about their educational future, most students do not stress about it. Danish students tend to worry more about their future career instead of worrying about the legacy and name of a college.

Studies cite that Danes have comparatively low stress levels because they are a happier people. To me, this is partly due to the fact that Danes are less worried about paying for college. According to the Happiness Research Institute’s recent report, the major contributors to Danes’ happiness are the welfare system and social equality.

The welfare system of the country is based on the principle of solidarity. While taxes may be high, they benefit the society by providing free education, free medical health care and retirement institutions, among other benefits.

The educational system is an important piece in the Danish welfare system, helping to equalize social differences. The system gives equal educational opportunities to people no matter their race, gender or social status, which is a problem in the United States. As an American individual, it is much more difficult to pursue higher education because of the exorbitanttuition.

In the U.S. not everyone has the same opportunities, and scholarships seem like the only mitigating option. The unequal opportunities cause intense competition in schools. Because of the competition level, students forget the purpose of education: not to be seen as successful, not necessarily to gain knowledge, but to grow and learn who you are as a person.

To add salt to the wound, not only is the higher education free, but Danes get paid for study, granted they have turned 18. The lack of tuition might be the reason why Denmark has a 15 percent higher rate of enrollment to gymnasium, than U.S. does to college.

Although the selection processes of universities are confusing and pressuring in both countries, the Danish system handles the pressure better.

After my time here in the United States, I believe Redwood and the American school system should adopt the reforms that make Danish education so effective– low stress, self care, and studying for interest. As a U.S. student you should take a step back and try to do what Danes do best: relax and become happier.