Every school year brings with it new challenges and uncertainties. Freshman year is the year of new beginnings– a little fish in a big pond.
Sophomore year is the year to test out new classes and get your foot in the door.
Senior year is the year of college applications and senioritis, of having fun and relaxing until you head off to college.
Junior year is the year of utter hell. When I was a sophomore, my upperclassman friends would say, “Oh boy, you’re going to be a junior next year. Good luck.”
I figured they were exaggerating– it couldn’t be that bad, could it?
As the end of tenth grade got closer, however, I began to understand.
All of the sudden everyone was abuzz, asking what they were doing over the summer, how they were balancing their schedules, and how many AP classes they were taking.
It was a horrifying awakening. Next year, I was going to have to take harder classes, get better grades, and achieve better and beyond what I had before. I had to prepare to present myself as an exceptional student to my colleges of choice.
That’s the entire goal: college.
That’s why we go to high school, struggle to get the grades, and break down to tears once a month–all to make it to the glistening halls of our dream university.
“I definitely feel the stress more than sophomore year. I feel like I’m staying up later with a lot more work. The only reason I’m taking AP classes is to look good for college,” said junior Chris Burke, who is taking three Advanced Placement classes.
The pressure to take three or four AP classes became very apparent as I stepped into my junior year. In addition to the stress of taking a rigorous course load, juniors also have to think about prospective colleges and attaining standardized test scores to please them.
You can’t mess up junior year. It’s the last stepping stone on the road to closing a successful high school chapter.
This mentality causes so much more stress than it needs to. I see my friends getting barely enough sleep to function, and substituting coffee for healthy eating habits.
Junior year doesn’t need to be all that bad if everyone takes a step back and realizes what’s most important.
Taking 10 AP classes isn’t important, getting a 2400 on the SAT isn’t important.
What’s important is keeping your head on straight and to make it through the year sane and unscathed. I just hope I can keep that in mind until June.