When asking teens which year in high school exhibits the hardest challenges — whether graduated or currently enrolled — the vast majority of students will answer with junior year. For several students, 11th grade acts as the most important year leading up to college. This year also remains a perfect time for improvement; not only academically, but personally. Junior year becomes the ideal time to branch out and try new interests, and while school itself remains a priority, it should not stand as the only source of significance in a student’s life.
Current high school seniors provide the best advice relating to the junior year since they recently completed the dreaded school year. The main topics discussed among seniors include SAT/ACT, prepping for college, habits to keep and habits to break. Personal matters, such as relationships and stress management, remain important as well because students prioritize themselves along with school.
“Pick a good class and actually do your work. The faster you get it done, the faster you get to do something you want. So just get the hard stuff out of the way and you’ll be good. Don’t take relationships too seriously, because you will get your heart broken, I know from experience,” senior Bella Arant said.
One of the greatest pieces of advice includes time management. Managing time helps with stress and ensures that students submit work on time. Above all, time management helps life remain organized and less overwhelming. With school comes an overwhelming amount of anxiety and stress, therefore healthy ways to cope with this stress remain available. Taking a walk, reading a book or even watching a comfort show can put a student back in the right headspace. Additionally, encouraging motivation acts as a helpful method when trying to persevere through any stressful school task.
“It’s okay to distance yourself from people and focus on yourself, and if you have to cut a person off to focus it’s okay, to put your academics first. Most of the time relationships will distract you. Also, take the SAT as soon as possible and make sure to get your grades up because everything counts junior year,” senior Ava Ponder said.
When it comes to high school, essentially everyone talks about relationships. Most teenagers dream about obtaining a high school sweetheart, or they convince themselves that a relationship will last. However, the vast majority of these relationships remain toxic and will cause further harm than needed. High school relationships will increase amounts of stress and quickly become a top priority, pushing academics to the bottom. While there reside a handful of lucky couples that experience healthy relationships that last out of high school, thriving couples remain awfully rare. In high school, junior year specifically, experiencing a relationship typically stands in the way of certain goals. It remains in one’s best self-interest to put oneself first and focus on personal goals revolving around things like school, sports and long-term commitments. By establishing these goals, priorities will remain in order causing stress and anxiety to lessen.
“I’m extremely nervous for junior year because I’ve heard a lot of negative things about it. I heard that you get stuck a lot and it’s the hardest year, so I’m anxious about that and the T. So I just want to know what I can do to prepare for the SATs, and I also want to know how to pass the year in general and make time for other things at the same time,” sophomore Queen Neya Holdorf said.
When discussing the SAT and ACT, seniors suggest testing as soon as possible. This way, if one must retake their test, plenty of time remains to study and retest. Several resources, such as College Board and PrepScholar, reside as reliable options to help students study. Joining study groups or planning study sessions with a friend can remain a great option to further prepare. Teachers can also answer their student’s questions that they may retain for additional aid. The fear of passing classes presents as extremely overwhelming. Due to the fact that an individual’s academic abilities ultimately depend on themself, this causes even more worry. In order to improve the struggle of passing classes, hard work and focus can aid tremendously. The best thing for students struggling involves practicing time management, using class time wisely and asking questions when needed.
The junior year remains challenging and bears hardships, however, each student can decide how their year will come about. Through keeping healthy habits, taking time for oneself and putting the work in, the junior year does not need to feel so dreaded and complicated. 11th grade remains the best time for prioritizing personal goals and growth, so students should take advantage of all the opportunities thrown their way.
