Junior Year–notorious for its difficulty–is one of the most stressful times in young people’s lives. Students are ridden with AP classes, stressful extracurriculars, and the fear of what’s to come in the future. Students may find it difficult to manage school and their social lives, while also thinking about college and their futures. However, there are some ways that we’ve found to help manage the stressful time in our lives. The following are 10 tips that we’ve utilized in order to survive our Junior years at JCHS.

• Staying Organized

One way to ensure that students can manage schoolwork in their Junior years is by staying organized. One way that I’ve found to help me is by using tools like Google Calendar and assignment trackers to manage my heavy courseload. Students may become overwhelmed by the amount of work in their Junior years, but staying on top of it is a great way to lessen the academic load and to remain successful in the most important year of high school.

• Participate in Class

Standing out to teachers is important for students in their Junior years. By raising your hand in class, it ensures that you understand the material and it shows to the teacher that you are interested in their class. Also, participating in class helps you to make a good impression on your teachers, which is crucial to asking for letters of recommendation, an important step in the college application process.

• Start a College List

If you don’t want to have to scramble over the summer, take the time to make a college list during your Junior year. Research schools that you are interested in and that you could likely get into. Divide the schools into three categories: Safeties, Targets, and Reaches. Safeties are schools that you could likely get into that you wouldn’t be upset to go to. Pick Target schools that match your interests and your grades and extracurricular activities. Then, pick a couple of schools that are a little bit harder to get into and that you would also enjoy. By splitting it into these three categories, it ensures a wide selection of schools before the stress of the summer approaches, and guarantees that you can focus on applying over the summer and not still be in the process of searching. 

• Take on Leadership

By your Junior year, it is likely that you are already in some extracurricular activities or clubs here at JCHS. I suggest that you start to be more active in these clubs and possibly apply to leadership positions. Learning how to lead actually translates into your success at school. Having leadership positions teaches you how to advocate for yourself and how to set and reach important goals and deadlines. Taking on leadership roles has taught me these things and has greatly helped me during this stressful year.

• Take Time for Yourself

Although much of your Junior year will be dedicated to studying, it is important to know when to put down the books. Burnout in Junior year is very real, and by taking some time for things you enjoy, it actually helps you to perform better. Many times throughout my Junior year, I took time for myself and it actually improved my test scores and my mental health. Taking time for things you enjoy, such as engaging in hobbies and going to sleep early, is an important part of succeeding in school during Junior year.

• Start Early

It may be very appealing to start that reading guide the night before it is due, but your teachers give you a week to finish some assignments for a reason. Starting your work early to get a head start on the most bothersome assignments is key to having free time to spend—plus, it’ll save you a lot of stress. I’ve personally found that finishing all of my work at least a night or two before its deadline is one of the most refreshing feelings. And because Junior year is so flooded with important deadlines—like signing up for APs, trip permission slips, research papers, etc.—-it’ll do you wonders to complete all of these things early.

• Prioritize Your Health

One of the hardest parts of Junior Year is taking care of yourself. With so much emphasis on meeting academic goals, it’s pretty easy to forget about your health. But it’s crucial to maintain a healthy diet, sleep for at least eight hours every night, and lay off the caffeine. Try setting up screentime on your devices. Shut your phone off by 9 pm to be in bed by 10 pm. Eat balanced dinners, never forget to eat lunch, and stop skipping breakfast. Your body needs food to survive, and it’s impossible to survive an AP class without sleeping if you’re low on fuel. Constant fatigue and dizziness is no joke—I’ve fought through the telltale symptoms of a bad sleep schedule, and because of that, I highly recommend you prioritize your health.

• Communicate With Your Teachers

With the chaos of college visits, school trips, sports, family emergencies and more, it’s extremely important to keep in touch with your teachers in Junior year. The last thing you’ll want to stress about after coming home from a college visit in Pennsylvania is a notification from Google Classroom that says your current event is due at midnight. To make matters better for yourself, you should definitely keep a very communicative relationship with your teachers. Don’t be afraid to email or to message them on Remind. Your teachers are here for a reason, and they are here to help you more than anything—most of the time, they’ll understand your situation and help you reschedule test dates or stretch deadlines. Do your best to balance extracurriculars and homework, but don’t be terrified to ask for assistance if needed.

• Apply for a Job

Junior year is probably the best time for you to get job experience. Though it’s a heavy year in term of academics, getting employed can benefit you both mentally and financially. It’ll give you a feeling of mature independence as well as a new sense of responsibility. It opens doors to new friendships with co-workers. And combined with the achievement of a driving license—which most Juniors gain on their 17th birthdays—it’ll make you feel like a brand new person. Throughout the stress of the year, getting a job could be the positive part of your routine, in which you could gather work experience and financial independence. 

• Broaden Your Social Circle

Perhaps the best part of Junior year is the community available to you. You won’t be the only JCHS student to be in their most busiest year of their life; your peers are also experiencing the same challenges as you. Try starting a conversation with a group you’ve never spoken to before. Be open-minded about classmates and new groupmates, participate in book talks, and don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Finding new friends to spend the year with is what can heal you. I think a lot of us current juniors in JCHS agree that your social circle can broaden an insane amount this school year, as long as you seek friendship. It’s always best to go through the hardest parts of your youth together.

We know that it’s a widely accepted belief that Junior Year is the most difficult it’ll get within your high school career. While on paper this belief is not exactly wrong, there does exist a variety of steps you can take to lessen the burden. As juniors ourselves, we believe that staying organized, starting your work early, communicating with your teachers, and taking on leadership among many other steps can help you manage your stress and time. To the rising juniors this year, one final piece of advice: keep a positive mind. We understand from first hand experience what it feels like to sink under pressure, but maintaining positivity from the beginning will help you push through. Junior year is difficult, but it will definitely be easier with an optimistic mindset. We encourage you to apply these tips in your own lives as you enter Junior year to balance your happiness, health, and academics.