If hell and heaven were made into an educational year, it would be called junior year! But not to worry, here are a few tips I have gathered this year that will help all the upcoming juniors. My junior year was no breeze, but it was definitely not a storm thanks to my organization.
Junior year is the last year colleges look at before accepting you. It is the year where we take the tests we have been preparing to take all of our lives. It is the second to last year of high school, keeping everyone mindful they are close to the end. Junior year is one of the hardest but with the right strategies, it can tame the storm.
As a sophomore you should plan ahead for your junior year. I am a Dual Enrolled (DE) student, meaning I have been taking classes at a college near OCSA. To do this, I had to take the PERT exam during my sophomore year. Another key thing to keep in mind is to get into leadership positions. Sign up for leadership positions right now so that you already know what you are in charge of the following year. Do not expect to receive any leadership positions at the start of junior year, most if not all clubs and organizations will hold their elections at the end of the year. Meaning it is now or never to get those leadership positions locked in. I have met consistently with my college counselor and guidance counselor, and both have highly recommended getting leadership positions to showcase to colleges that you are a natural leader who is a perfect candidate for their program. I regret not starting a sport. I regret not training to go into track, so you should. Go into a sport if you haven’t already. You will meet new people and get exercise that you might not have time to do on your own time later. Joining a sport adds to your resume, health, and social life.
Once you are all done with sophomore year, there are a few things to do during the summer in order to make your junior year a bit easier on you. I researched colleges that I will be applying to and saw the range of scores they are looking for. The SAT and ACT are very important exams. These exams can help get you into the college you wish and get you Bright Futures Scholarship, a scholarship that covers 75- 100% of students’ tuition at a Florida institute if they meet the requirements: Bright Futures Requirements. Once you have your ACT and SAT score goals, begin to study! I highly recommend khan academy and reading a book everyday. It will truly help improve your scores and get you familiar to the questions you are likely to see on the official test. If you are planning to work, get the job before junior year starts. You will find yourself with a lot of new things to balance in your life and you definitely want to already be used to your job. I started working the July before my Junior year and it was perfect. I couldn’t imagine starting to work the year of, considering how tired I was after work since I wasn’t used to it. Begin to volunteer during the summer! It so much easier to just volunteer when you have no homework or school to worry about. So make volunteering fun and go with friends. I went with one of my best friends to help kids at a summer boot camp and it was so much fun. We got to play with kids and hang out while we were taking care of them.
Now, for the beginning of junior year, the start of everything. If you decided to do DE, select classes as soon as you can. Sometimes classes will fill up and only those with bad professors or difficult scheduling will be available. I used Rate My Professor to decide which teachers to take. Unlike high school, college allows you to pick what teachers to have a class with. Pick the teacher with a rating of 4.5 or higher. Make sure to also read the reviews and check the dates of when they were published. The ideal professors will teach in your learning style and will have good reviews from recent semesters.
Again, continue to study for the exam. Around October, schools will usually host a free exam where you will get to see where you’re at. Plan to study in the areas you did not do well in so that next exam you score higher. If you come from a low- income household, make sure to ask how many waivers you have for the SAT and ACT. These waivers are life savers since the tests will take the highest score from each SECTION and you are allowed to take them as many times as you wish.
As for social advice, I recommend talking to everyone. You’re leaving in a year, who cares. Talk to whoever you want to talk to and don’t to whoever you don’t want to. You will be far too busy to deal with pointless drama, so cut off those who are not beneficial to your way of living. Make friends and keep those who are good for you close to you. Keep in mind that relationships take effort, whether they are romantic or platonic. So make sure to set time apart for relationships, you wouldn’t want to neglect or ignore those important to you. Another thing I wish I did was get closer to my teachers. I wish I would have built friendships with my teachers since recommendation letters are a very important part of the college application. It would also allow me to get advice from someone who has helped other reach their goals. Getting a personalized and heart felt letter of recommendation is not easy and takes willing to get to know your teacher. Socialize with everyone and have fun.
Additionally, it is important to keep the right mindset throughout the year. You will need to have time for yourself. Get yourself an agenda and color code every class and extra curricular to keep yourself organized. I lost my agenda for a week and almost went crazy. I missed assignment due dates, forgot about events I needed to attend, and overall was a mess. With my agenda, I know what I need to do and where I need to be. “Organization will save your life. I am the biggest advocate for time management and doing everything on time!” Isabel Tercero, Junior Creative Writer stated in an interview. It is so much easier to just write and check than to try to remember the millions of things you need to get done.
My final piece of advice is to discover who you are and what you like throughout this important year. Senior year you will need to apply for colleges and programs that will soon become your career. Find out what major you want to go into so that you not only don’t waste money but you will also not waste time and energy. Nothing is worse than doing something you hate, so choose wisely and take your time. Be patient with yourself and take it easy.
