Junior Year… it isn’t that bad
Mike Quinn is happy that junior year is over.
It is widely accepted that eleventh grade is the busiest and the most difficult point in his or her high school career, but is it really as challenging as everyone makes it out to be? Madison Dodger Online interviewed some juniors and got individual takes on how they handled junior year.
What makes it hard and why does it have to be that way? There are three chief reasons that junior year may seem the most stressful:
- It is sometimes thought to be the most important year academically because all four marking periods go on one’s transcript whereas colleges may only see the first few months worth of grades from students their senior year.
- The combination of taking honors and AP classes to better the appearance on one’s transcript and getting ready for college leaves little room for other activities and proves to be time consuming.
- Many students who are driving are looking for jobs so that they can afford gas money or in other cases, their own cars. This takes up a great deal of time after school and on the weekend.
“I was definitely nervous going into this school year but looking back at it, the year wasn’t as stressful as everyone else has said. As long as you do your work and manage your time wisely then junior year really isn’t all that bad,” said junior Elizabeth Romano. Elizabeth was awarded a scholarship her sophomore year to attend the University of Connecticut as a field hockey athlete and will be graduating a semester early her senior year.
Alexandra Gonzalez, another junior, had a wildly different perspective when reflecting on this past year. “Junior year was a lot of work, especially in the last marking period. Balancing my job and homework was not easy and I was stressed for the most of it, it is certainly not a good day to be a dodger when you’re a junior!”
Finally, junior Kristin McManus left the underclassmen reading this a piece of advice for the most dreaded year to come. “Junior year was not too bad. It started out the way that freshman and sophomore year did, but in the end there was definitely more work and I felt the pressure. However, it all goes by so fast. Enjoy it while you still have it!”
MDO wishes all the underclassmen a great summer and bids the sophomores well as they will soon get started on the college planning process!
Christian Wong • Nov 28, 2017 at 8:55 pm
I think that Junior year is certainly the toughest year so far in high school however I don’t think it’s necessarily because the work itself gets harder. I think it’s the hardest more because of the fact that there’s the most pressure to do well and there are standardized tests that students have to worry about. Freshman year students aren’t exactly thinking too much about their GPA and colleges. Sophomore year I feel like students are just trying to improve upon their previous year. Junior year, however, is when students realize that it’s the last full year that can improve one’s GPA, and that pressure seems to make students stress more about how well they do, and ultimately make them more busy with studying. In my personal opinion though, I agree with Elizabeth and Kristen’s thoughts regarding Junior year. It’s really not too bad, and as long as I get my work done at some point before its deadline I find myself with plenty of free time to do as I please. In the end, Junior year really isn’t anything overwhelming or unmanageable.
Lauren Kaye • Nov 26, 2017 at 9:34 pm
I enjoyed reading the differing perspectives as to the difficulty of junior year. I also agree with Amanda(in the comment above) that the added pressure of junior year also stems from the standardized tests. I also agree that the pressure continues to pile on if you are apart of an extracurricular activity. All in all time management is important to junior year.
Holli Park • Nov 26, 2017 at 8:01 pm
Going into junior year I was really skeptical because of the popular opinion that junior year is the worst, but after the first couple weeks I agree with most of the seniors, this year so far hasn’t been that bad. But I do think the reason most people find junior year stressful is taking the SAT/ACT because it’s essentially another set of classes that you have to do well on to appeal to colleges. Great article!
Ellie Culin • Nov 26, 2017 at 2:31 pm
I agree with Elizabeth Romano and Kristin McManus’s opinions; so far, I think junior year is starting out the same way that freshman and sophomore year started, but time management is definitely crucial when it comes to doing well. Junior year is really when people start seriously thinking about colleges, and students start to take on more responsibilities in order to prepare for applying. Standardized testing, extracurricular activities, and jobs really take time away from studying and can make junior year really stressful.
I liked reading about junior year and the different experiences that people had. Great article!
Amanda Smith • Nov 24, 2017 at 3:33 pm
I have heard many mixed things about Junior Year. I think another reason Junior Year is stressful is because student have to take standardized tests, (SAT, ACT). It is hard to manage schoolwork, studying for these tests, and a job. Additionally, if a student plays sports. Nevertheless, Junior Year is when parents and guidance counselors force students to actually think about colleges, and go on visits.
It is interesting how the same year effects every student differently. Nice article, I enjoyed the different perspectives.