I was accepted into the Beacon School, one of New York City's most competitive high schools.The teachers were free to create unique curriculums, which were difficult but inspiring.My classmates were very successful, pushing me to a higher level of achievement.In many ways, the Beacon School is a New York City public high school like any other: fluorescent lighting, student competition, and bathrooms that smell suspiciously of bubblegum.But one thing stood out when I first toured Beacon in middle school. It wasn't the neon lockers, the museum-worthy student artwork, or even the basement dedicated to music production. Instead, I noted that out of all of the tours I'd been on and as my parents can attest, I'd been on many Beacon's student tour guide was the only one who spoke with true confidence, knowledge, and passion. She exuded preparedness and resilience like she could take on any challenge."That's what I want to be like," I said to myself. "I need to go here."Getting into Beacon was my hope and dream for months, but I knew it was one of the most competitive schools in the city. When I finally found out I got in, I cried. I knew Beacon's reputation as a top New York City high school ensured an intellectually challenging road ahead, but I also knew that I would be all the better for it.The curriculum was difficult but inspiringOne of Beacon's most unique qualities is that the students are exempt from most New York State Regents exams, so we didn't waste time with scantrons and multiple-choice quizzes.It also gives our teachers more freedom to design classes however they want. In my sophomore year world history class, for example, my teacher had us read "Al-Qaeda and What it Means to Be Modern" by John Gray. This book is not an easy read for a 10th grader, as it discusses difficult subjects like terrorism and modernism. This was the most challenging piece I'd ever read, and yet, since my teacher assumed we could do it, my classmates and I were determined not to disappoint.With such high expectations, my head often felt like an overstuffed suitcase. Facts about the Silk Road, geometric logic, el subjuntivo, and "The Great Gatsby" were packed into every nook and cranny of my brain. The end of each school day assured me that I could and would master challenging concepts.The competition was fierce because my classmates were so successfulAttending Beacon often felt like being at the forefront of something electrifying. My friends were inspiring activists, professional journalists, well-practiced soccer stars, and documentarians in the making. They were photographers, bandmates, and award-winning debaters.Such people were the best part of Beacon and gave way to what every student should experience: the feeling of being surrounded by people who are so smart and driven that you can only hope to keep up.These students would have been successful no matter where they ended up but put them all together, and you get graduating classes whose ideas, passions, and futures have been molded, influenced, and made brighter by those around them.Because of the high-achieving people I was surrounded with, however, Beacon sometimes felt like a bubble. Since everyone was so ambitious and determined to get ahead, the competition for limited AP class seats, teacher recommendations, and leadership positions could get intense. I sometimes felt like I was falling behind, and when I wasn't accepted to an elite American college a goal influenced by the expectations of those around me I felt like I was less than my peers.Even so, if I hadn't been exposed to such competition, I never would have known I could reach so high or go so far.I learned exactly what I needed to at BeaconThe day after I graduated from Beacon, I returned to fulfill one final goal of my high school career: giving a school tour.As we made our way from the seventh to the first floor, I told a group of Beacon-parents-to-be about the teachers who changed me, the clubs I'd miss, and the friends I'd always keep in contact with. I felt every bit the confident, resilient person I'd first associated with Beacon.I left knowing that every school should be as formative and every student as lucky to be given the power, strength, and potential that Beacon gave me.Sophie Landis is a first-year student at McGill University in Montreal. Connect with her on LinkedIn here.