<p>Hey guys, I'm going to start junior year next week. I've heard that junior year is the hardest and most stressful of all 4 years of high school. I signed up for 2 APs (Calc AB & APUSH) and will be officer of 2 clubs in addition to joining 2 others. I also haven't decided whether or not I'll be continuing a sport for the 3rd year...I'm kinda excited, but nervous at the same time about it all. I know that many other incoming juniors have heard about the workload/stress too and I haven't seen any other threads/posts with a list of general advice. So I thought, we should make one! So post any advice you would give to an incoming junior of what to expect during the year and how to survive it! This is optional, but it would be really awesome if you could post about the summer before senior year as well! Thanks!</p>
<p>Calculus AB: If you can, pretend like you have to teach someone else the material when learning it.</p>
<p>APUSH: Course notes/Review book the whole year! If you do it well you’ll make the A grade and get a 4/5.</p>
<p>I really hope those officer positions and clubs are ones you truly enjoy. If they are, you’ll be compelled to get your work done early and not procrastinate.</p>
<p>Don’t screw it up. You’ll have to study on top of the homework for both subjects. I would always fall asleep in AP US, and as a result not have any notes which forced me to outline from the textbook. It was time consuming, but as a result, I didn’t have to study for the actual exam because it was so well crammed into my brain. Maybe you could try that?</p>
<p>Being a club officer is actually a lot easier than it sounds. The first few weeks are awful since you’ve got to coordinate marketing, what the meetings will be like, etc, but after that it’s pretty smooth sailing. I’d do the sport, just because it gives you a chance to get out and be active, say nothing for the admissions benefit.</p>
<p>I spent my summer before senior year working, and I feel like that was the best way to use my time. I saved up money for college, and got to have some fun second semester senior year.</p>
<p>Tangentline, funny that you mention the teaching someone else method haha. We actually have really horrible Calc AB teachers this year so it will pretty much be self-study the entire time! And yeah, the officer positions and clubs are for ones I am interested in, otherwise I would have cut them out to save time.</p>
<p>Whenhen, this is the first time I’m actually an officer, so hopefully all goes well. As for the sport, what do you mean by “say nothing for the admissions benefit”?
Thanks for the advice guys!</p>
<p>By admissions benefits, I mean it might look good to a college if you continued with a sport throughout high school. But that shouldn’t be your primary reason to continue on with a sport. If you enjoy it, then you should continue with it. You might be a bit more strapped for time than if you didn’t do a sport, but I found that having practice from 6:45-9PM every day actually motivated me to do my homework, since I couldn’t just say oh I’ll do it later.</p>
<p>If you have trouble with Calc AB, I’d recommend using the Khan Academy’s videos for concepts you’re unclear about. They saved my math grade senior year.</p>
<p>Am starting junior in September :/. Want it to start know 
lol.</p>
<p>Make to-do lists every day after school.</p>
<p>Honestly, it is all about GRADES your junior year and that should be a FIRST priority.</p>
<p>Second Priority should be studying and reviewing for PSAT Test if you think you will score in the top 2 percentile. You should have been preparing all summer for it, but it is not too late to study NOW for the October test. Junior Year PSAT test is the one that puts you up for the National Merit Scholarship Awards which can be a significant amount of money depending on which college you choose. Or it can just be a nice National-level Honor to put on a college resume to get your foot in the door to a college that recognizes the honor but does not award scholarship money. </p>
<p>Third Priority is to study for the SAT and SAT Subject Test. </p>
<p>I know it sounds lame, but you already have the Officer position, so do what you can to uphold your leadership positions, but DO NOT prioritize it over Grades and SAT Scores because those are what count for college entrance above all else. </p>
<p>If you didn’t see a lot of play time and did not win any special awards in sports, then I would not continue it. It’s not how much you do, but the quality of what you do that is important. </p>
<p>And no matter what anyone tells you, put in extra study and set the curve. At the end of junior year, a lot of awards are given out for upcoming positions senior year. Best students get selected by the teachers, etc. You really want to impress this year as a resume/college application builder for next year.</p>
<p>@lagunal Great summary. I am a rising junior, and I’m basically following that exact outline.</p>
<p>one word: willpower</p>
<p>work your hardest, and don’t get lazy</p>
<p>This isnt really about academics, but don’t fall in love with a college and obsess over it! I toured a college summer before junior year and had decided that was where I wanted to go. I would read all the reviews I could find and read through all the forums about the school on this website and others. I would even check their facebook page everyday and their twitter feed. I even found a few groups on facebook made by incoming freshmen that were open and I would read through them. Looking back, that was a complete waste of time as now I have found 2 other schools I not only like better, but have a much higher chance of getting into. It’s great to visit and check out colleges, but make sure to focus on the short term stuff like homework and tests that you will have.</p>
<p>Make a to-do list. Make sure you get at least 5 hours of sleep (I averaged about 4 a night, but I basically became accustomed to it so nothing really suffered).</p>
<p>Just make sure to breathe. Since you’re involved in four activities and possibly one sport, good for you! I’m not trying to sound cocky here, but I’m involved in a ton of stuff, and I definitely spread myself thin this past year. Nothing suffered other than, again, my sleep schedule.</p>
<p>If you have study halls, you have to options: If you don’t have anything going on after school that day, go ahead and mess around, if you’re able to, during that study hall. It helps blow off some steam and get your head out of the academic “h ell hole” you’re going to be in for a little while. If you do have things going on after school, try doing whatever homework you have that comes easiest to you. That way, it won’t be that much of a bother to get done during that time, and it will kind of be a break.</p>
<p>If you don’t have any study halls at all, then I feel bad for you. Personally, I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through junior year without a study hall.</p>
<p>Make sure you’re organized. That’s really key. You’re going to be getting a lot of important papers this year. Make sure you know where everything is. Make sure you have everything.</p>
<p>Junior year is going to be crazy. I completely underestimated it. Don’t be like me and underestimate it. My friends and I were all burnt out after the first month of school. It was very, very difficult. Just keep your head up. It’s not the end of the world. Breathe. Relax every so often. Have a good time. Everything will be okay in the end.</p>
<p>Well, this year was an absolute killer for me. It was the first year I started drinking coffee if thats any indicator. There are going to many late nights and hand cramping note sessions for APUSH; I completely agrer with whoever said APUSH makes you sleepy because it so does. AP season is going to be very hard, especially if you’re taking your SAT around that time. But second semester is always easier class work wise. First semester is very challenging. I remember going completely crazy and wanting to give up but I didn’t. In the end, I survived with a 4.0, 2100 SAT score and a 5 on APUSH. You can do it. :)</p>
<p>And I agree with swizzle-- everytime you have a dead week with a bunch of tests or commitments (you’re going to have a lot of those), when it’s passed make sure you reward yourself. Hang out with friends, shop, go out to lunch, whatever you want. 
It’ll keep your sanity in check, you need to make sure your life is balanced.</p>
<p>Wow thanks for all the feedback so far guys! I just picked up my schedule a few days ago so the only 2 classes I am worried about right now are Chemistry and AP Calc AB. I heard my chemistry teacher is really bad and her notes aren’t even related to her quizzes/tests. She assigns hw everyday and sometimes large loads that are still due the next day. She doesn’t accept late work and if you are tardy to class, she won’t even look at your work. As for the Calc teacher, she’s just so horrible that everyone says it’s pretty much a self-study class. Good thing I bought the Peterson’s AP Calc AB & BC book just in case I got her…The rest of my classes are okay I guess. @swizzle13, we do not have study halls or any sort of free periods LOL. I’m still unsure about the sport, so I’m just going to see how I handle everything else before the season starts, which is usually Feb-May. And if you guys have social advice this year as well, feel free to comment! I actually forgot to write it in the original post. Academically or Socially surviving! 
Again thank you so much!</p>
<p>Take a chill pill and relax, enjoy your junior year. :)</p>
<p>I am currently a junior and so far it is my favorite year (next year might be better but I’ll have to see). It is difficult, because I am balancing 5 AP classes with 4 varsity sports, but I’m currently operating under a work hard, play hard attitude and I’m having a blast. And once May comes around I’m sure it’s gonna be REALLY stressful, but until then, I’m just having fun. The best tricks for me are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Pick activities you truly enjoy. I do sports, for example, because I love them - not because I’m trying to pad my college application. Playing a few rounds of golf or going to soccer practice both count as extracurricular activities, but they are also great ways for me to relax, have fun, and socialize with friends. It doesn’t have to be a sport if you’re not a sporty-type guy like me, though - it can be any kind of club or activity.</p></li>
<li><p>Try having at least one or two “easy” classes in your schedule, especially if your schedule is currently pretty loaded. I have 5 AP classes, but I also have a free period (office assistant, I answer a few calls and run a few errands but otherwise I’m free for the rest of the period) and a really easy class (online, self-paced course) where I can either relax and socialize if I’m feeling stressed, or I can knock out some homework if I have a lot to do that night. So far I have not had any homework between my AP classes because I get them all done at school.</p></li>
<li><p>Try setting up a schedule for tests and what-not so you have time to adequately prepare for each. Don’t blow all of your SATs/ACTs or subject tests until the end of junior or beginning of senior year, otherwise you’re just looking for hell-on-earth come April and May. Try to stagger them - I am taking one SAT in December, I plan on re-taking in March, and I plan on taking my SAT subject tests in June - that way I’m not swamped doing all of them at one time.</p></li>
<li><p>Finally, learn to prioritize. Even though hanging out with friends or playing some video games or whatever you do for fun will sound tempting the day before a huge mid-term test or the night a major project is due, you need to make sure to set your priorities in line. Make sure you get some studying for the SAT/ACT in throughout the year as well as for your AP exams.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>^thats some awesome advice there!</p>
<p>But there are three words you must know for the rest of your high school career:
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!! </p>
<p>Always make sure you plan ahead for tests and stay on top of your homework.
Also i would recommend to start studying SAT vocab. You’ll thank me later.
Start looking for research opportunities or internships now if you’re interested. You’ll thank me for that too later.</p>
<p>So long as you do what you’re supposed to do, you’ll be just fine.</p>
<p>Just curious - For all the rising seniors this year, when did you guys take your SATs? Is there a time to fit it into a busy junior schedule?</p>
<p>Basically anything can be accomplished if you use your time wisely & don’t procrastinate.</p>
<p>I took the SAT I twice: November and January. November is a good time because the PSAT provided a warmup in October and schoolwork had not become too terrible yet. I retook in January on a whim, and it was a good time for me because I was just getting back into the swing of things after a relaxing winter break.</p>
<p>In truth, junior year is not horrible. Despite the many challenges I faced with a ridiculous amount of responsibilities and whatnot, I still found time to hang out with friends and run around like an idiot. As long as you learn to manage your time and stop procrastinating, junior year really is just a tad more stressful than the previous two years of high school.</p>