[itsjustjon]

Biggest negative is definitely the time commitment. It affects almost everything else that I either enjoy doing or am already committed to completing.

- Schoolwork: Hah, no time for that unless you can manage your time like an insane person. While this is a good goal to strive for, it is very hard to attain and unrealistic for some. And yes, FIRST may look great on college apps and life experience in general, but very few top tier colleges will consider you if your grades are being sacrificed at the expense of an extracurricular.

- Social Life: I have a sneaking suspicion that many of us go dark in terms of our social lives during the robotics season. Not all of my friends are in robotics, and I miss out on a lot of fun stuff that exists outside of FIRST when I participate in FIRST.

- Self-Everything: Stress is great for short or moderate periods of time. Its what propels me to have an insane work ethic for last-minute projects and it lights a fire under me so I generally get stuff done. Surprisingly though, stress for an extended length of time doesn't do the mind or body any good. That's not even considering the amount of people you potentially affect when you're stressed, too.

- The Team: Forcing a group of people to constantly work (and sometimes deal with) one another doesn't do any amount of good for the relationships and friendships that exist within the team. Stress, lack of sleep, and other such byproducts of Build Season strains more friendships than it helps.

These are major things which have probably been discussed beforehand. That being said, eh, who cares?