It seems that where people are, there is bound to be competition. The question is, is competition beneficial toward us? Does competition always bring out the best in people? Although competition does push us to excel, it does not always promise such beneficial results.

Competition can be seen in students going through education. It can be seen in sports between teams or between a few people. Competition is almost always seen between companies. Competition is everywhere. It can be harmful but it can also be quite beneficial.

The best example one can take is exams. Competition enhances the standards of each person. We look at those who have got higher marks and aim to beat that mark. It brings out the best in students and pushes them to do even better. However it can also discourage people. When someone just cannot cope with the competition and finds themselves failing all the time, he may lose hope in his self causing him to give up altogether. Different people have their own limits of competition. Some people thrive on the competition. It brings out their best potential and they do well even in extreme competitive situations. Why, we regularly call these people, “competitive people”? Some people just cannot deal with any competition at all and it may affect them badly and they may become de-motivated. It all depends on the level of competition each person’s personality can handle.

Nowadays, it is a growing trend for teachers to conduct their classes in a competitive style: using point awarding systems. In order to gain more points to eventually emerge winners, the students will have to further rack their brains and push themselves to think better and understand better in class. This way, there is only room for improvement each time because of the friendly rivalry. It will also foster closer bonds between the groups, thus promoting good cooperative skills.