To all juniors out there~!

<p>This is why you plan early. Tell your friends. Take the SAT in the fall of junior year when classes aren't as hectic. They can retake in the winter of junior year if they want; if not, wait till the fall of senior year, so that they have more than enough time to improve their scores considerably. Focus on AP's and SAT II's (in the same fields as your AP's!) in the spring of junior year. In between, focus on classes, clubs, and competitions.</p>

<p>Taking the SAT in the fall of my junior year was possibly the best decision I ever made. I could study for it over the summer, I wasn't all stressed out about school or the winter or band or anything yet, and I was able to do great. Now I don't have to retake it.</p>

<p>Haha I planned it like that but I have to retake since I didn't prep enough over the summer... But that's ok cause I had the time of my life over the summer and I was totally refreshed for the new school year.</p>

<p>My dad convinced me to take it again this past weekend, pretty much for the hell of it. I think I did better in... one section haha.</p>

<p>Then I'm taking the ACT twice, 7 AP's, and 1 SAT II this spring, and the SAT again this October if I don't do well enough (35) on the ACT.</p>

<p>I don't understand taking the SAT in April/May/June. It's such a waste of efficiency to study for the SAT, SAT IIs, and AP's at the same time.</p>

<p>Juniors suck woo hoo seniors rule! wooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>It's hard, but I'm just trying to get by, I guess. Right now, I am finishing summer program and job apps, looking at scholarships, studying for SAT's in April. I am worried about RP next year and my internship. Hopefully I am placed at Children's Hospital. I am doing the SAT II's in June, right after AP classes. Not worried about those since they are after the AP tests. Trying to maintain straight A's this year like last year:). My EC's are a pain. Indoor Track, Orchestra, Mock Trial, International Club, and teaching Sunday School. blah.</p>

<p>However I am excited for college visits in April in New England. Also I am going to Disneyworld in May! My first time!</p>

<p>hahah calculus is the easiest subject ever!</p>

<p>I'm just angry at myself for not being able to solve no. 10-15 in the AIME problems... and looking at the online community (there are 8th graders!) show me how easy it is to solve, just demotivates me. I'm a failure in life :)</p>

<p>I dunno why I am so relaxed at this stage of my junior year, and yes, I'm aiming for Penn Wharton. I perceive myself as merely apathetic.</p>

<p>I thought 1 more year of pain will get me into a good college, get me a 6 figure job, and earn me enough money to travel around the world while staying at 5 star hotels.</p>

<p>But on the second thought, I might get rejected like those flawless applicants with 4.0's and 2400's, I still have the arduous college workload, I'll be in nearly $200,000 dollar debt after undergrad, I have to squeeze my brains out for grad school, perhaps even lock myself in the library for months to prepare for the LSAT or the MCAT, I'll be in a $400,000 dollar debt after grad school, survive grad school workload, my major may be outdated by the time I graduate and the society may no longer treat the career I chose, I still have to worry about getting a job, I have to find a woman at age of nearly 30 and get married, I might make a 4 figure salary (afterall, researches show that there is weak correlation between salary and presitiege of schools), dread everyday in fear that my boss may fire me, and still pay the $400,000 debt!!!</p>

<p>I don't know, I started a dual-enrollment program this year so it's a whole different atmosphere than in high school. I have super small classes (like 10 people!), excellent professors, and an amazing schedule. I have class Tues-Thurs and for the most part classes haven't been too hard. I struggled horribly in Calc fall quarter, and ended up getting a C+. I'm retaking it this quarter and it's the best decision I've ever made. Now that everything in Calculus makes sense, I love the subject! I have my first chance at a 4.0 this year, which would be amazing. I'm so excited because I always end up with at least one or two B+/A-'s. </p>

<p>Looking into colleges has been overwhelming to say the least. I keep trying to decide whether it's worth it to go out of state, pay 40,000 to attend an ivy, etc. It's hard to make such huge decisions when I know that they're probably going to really affect my life.</p>

<p>I'm starting a new sport so I'm excited about that, but at the same time I'm really nervous about quitting a sport that I competed in for over 11 years. I feel like it might look really bad during the college admissions process, but than I remind myself if I'll be happier than that's way more important than how my application to some college will look.</p>

<p>I guess this year has just been a lot of changes for me. Lots of decisions to make and I'm not always sure that I'm making the right ones. I feel myself growing more independent and I'm excited to become even more independent with college. I'm conflicted by the decisions, but I have faith that everything will fall into place as the time nears. I'm going to try to enjoy the last 1.5 years I have in high school and not worry about college too much.</p>

<p>Hahaha. My life looks something like this. I'll go to a good college (preferably Tufts, NYU or University of Michigan), major in econ and/or finance, get my BA, work at a bulge bracket investment bank for a year, get into Columbia Business School, get my accelerated MBA specializing in finance and international management, go back to same said BB investment bank, become a real investment banker, triple my salary from $~100k+(investment banking analyst compensation) to $~300k+, NOT have any debt (my dad is willing to pay my entire tuition all the way thru the highest degree of my choice), buy a $1.5mil house in the suburbs of New York (Scarsdale), live there for six years (while working for same said BB Ibank), get promoted from associate to vice president to executive director, have my salary quintuple ($~1.5mil+) in the six years, save tons of money, get recruited by Morgan Stanley and get paid $~2mil+, buy a huge, rundown house in Greenwich, CT, tear it down and build a large palacial compound (complete with pool and putting green) in its place, move to said palacial compound, keep working for Morgan Stanley, get promoted to managing director, thus doubling my pay, quit (I'll have amassed a ton of money and real estate), take a two-year trip around the world, go back to Morgan Stanley, this time as a financial advisor and not an investment banker (less risk of washing out and getting fired), live the rest of my life in piles of cash, real estate and a private jet. Then I will retire at the age of 45 and found a real estate management company overseeing leases of the various real estate I bought throughout the country and in Canada. Make tons of money. (Go back to visit my school; laugh at all my teachers who gave me bad grades; flaunt the fact that I make more per year than they made/make/will make in their entire lifetimes)</p>

<p>I'll probably have sold my soul to Corporate America by the time I retire (which is why I'll retire early) and have worked 3200 hours per year between when I was 26-35, and 4000 hours when I was 23, but I'll have made tons of money(someplace north of $20mil) and AT LEAST I won't have a cash-flow problem.</p>

<p>This year is crazy. Pre-Calc is by far the origin of my suffering. Now with tennis season starting I don't know what's going to happen.</p>

<p>This year is absolutely insane between balancing AP classes, independent study AP's, SATs (which I didn't take yet),scholastic competitions, and work I find little time for sleep. It's been taking a toll on me and I feel it's starting to show on my overall performance. Not that I'm dropping in grades, but I'm losing motivation completely. I can't wait until spring break.</p>

<p>Yay for the beginning of second semester... you know why? because no more calculus until senior year!! I am being owned by Physics, and have resigned myself to a B+ for the year... sad...OH WELL. My ability in physics is not a measure of my personal character (thank goodness). Definitely psyched for a super hard and stressful second semester! <em>ahem</em> <em>ahem</em>.</p>

<p>Last year this stuff was just fun to learn and think about - now it's starting to feel so REAL. The most suddenly-real part to me is the money - how the hell am I going to pay for the 40k plus a year school that I'd love to attend and will likely get into? Now that's quite a dilemma. I might have to settle for a state school just because of money.</p>