The first two years of high school are marked as a time of exploration for students–trying out for sports, joining clubs, and adjusting to the demand of new high school classes. But as summer ends and junior year approaches, their previous carefree days of school are replaced with a heavy workload, standardized testing, and the looming pressure of college applications.
“My experience going from sophomore to junior year was a rough transition,” senior Kaylee Campbell said. “The schooling was completely different and I felt incredibly behind even though I was on track with everyone else.”
Both academic rigor and the quantity of homework rise during junior year. This requires that students have a high understanding of all of their subjects and put elevated levels of effort and time into their work.
“My course load definitely made me realize I need to set aside time to make sure my assignments get done. Teachers here are keen on making sure that you are responsible to get stuff done on time,” Campbell said. “I was frustrated at first that most teachers wouldn’t take late work but I realized that in life you need to do things by the time they’re assigned.”
As academic pressure rises for students, so does the availability of higher-level classes such as AP and Dual Enrollment. When entering their junior year, students are encouraged to participate in these classes as they prepare for college, the amount of AP classes available doubling when moving from sophomore to junior year.
“I’m taking more difficult classes so I can challenge myself and get a higher GPA,” junior Jayla Tirado said. “It’s really frustrating for me because I’m not used to having so many B’s and it makes me feel like I’m not trying hard enough.”
Classes such as AP Pre-Calculus, AP Language, and AP US History are all highly challenging classes common among juniors, all including more in-depth subject matter, homework, and studying. For junior Adriana Pagan, balancing multiple AP classes has proven the hardest change from sophomore year. Before, Pagan only spent an hour a day working on homework, but now, she averages two to three hours a day, and that does not include time studying.
“Just AP Lang alone leaves me with so much work, I’m usually left trying to find time in other classes just to finish it before it’s due,” Pagan said. “I feel like I have practically no time for myself or to just relax when I get home from school, because I know if I don’t do my work it will build up and make me stressed.”
Because of the exhaustive workload, one suggestion for juniors is to choose classes of subjects that they are passionate about, or one that could lead to future careers.
“Think about what you love doing now in school and what you would love doing in the future, think about what classes you want to take next year and can benefit you and pursue them–do what you love doing but find new things to enjoy,” senior Eileen Sauvao said.
For many, the expectations to take challenging classes can lead to more hardship as homework piles up and students have less time for extracurriculars. Additionally, as the topic of college approaches, many are left feeling overwhelmed, now dealing with new experiences such as credit checks and university tours.
“Junior year is your toughest year, especially if you’re planning on going to college,” 11th grade English teacher Heather Ambrosi said. “That’s when you want to start looking at colleges and make sure you have all your credits, and that you’re doing well in your classes. It’s the year that colleges really look at.”
The burden does not stop at challenging classes, as standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT linger in the minds of students, with an estimated one-fifth of all students experiencing high testing anxiety. While students can build a strong GPA, showcasing their grades across all years of high school, standardized tests, which play an essential role in college admissions, rely on students to recount years of knowledge in just a couple hours.
“I think the SAT really adds stress to students because it covers material that we might not have seen in a bit or passed off as not as important. Sometimes it’s hard to gauge what material you think will be on the test, so a lot of students over or under study,” Campbell said.
But the difficulty of junior year does not end at school as many take on the challenge of a job. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, 79% of all juniors have a job at some point during the year. This results in not only less time to focus on school, but the challenge of learning to balance these different responsibilities.
“Because I got a job, studying became a struggle to try and juggle. I knew I would need to set aside my free time whether I liked it or not to make sure I did well in school, so I would just tell myself the faster I got it done, the faster I could be done and relax,” Tirado said.
Between school, work, and extracurriculars, students’ time becomes limited, leaving many feeling overwhelmed and not having time to participate in their usual hobbies. Even worse, students may lose sleep at night, too busy juggling between homework and studying.
“Sometimes this would mean I couldn’t play games after school to relax or take an afternoon nap before work. It’s really frustrating looking forward to doing something all day just to realize you have responsibilities first. It’s a constant battle between priorities. It honestly depends on how badly you want to succeed in school over pleasure,” Campbell said.
The transition from sophomore to junior can be a challenge, introducing new obstacles to students can lead to stress and uncertainty. But with the right time management, dedication, and balance between school and self-care, students can not only survive but thrive during their junior year. Successfully overcoming these struggles allows for personal growth, preparing students for not only the last year of high school but also what lies ahead after graduation.
“Dealing with a lot of homework and other responsibilities you’re not used to, it forces you to learn how to deal with those things even if you’re not prepared,” Sauvao said. “Getting through junior year definitely helped teach me how to manage all my responsibilities, even if it seemed stressful at the time.”
