By the time junior year comes around, most high school students have heard that it will be their most challenging year yet. Whether or not this is true, junior year does add several potential stressors. For many, this year marks the start of looking for colleges, taking harder classes and preparing for important standardized tests.
Although Northwood has only just reached the end of the first grading period, some juniors already consider this to be their toughest year yet.
“I would say that junior year has been my hardest year so far just because the material is much more advanced,” junior Abi Dasher said. “Although I had much more homework in freshman year, it was quicker and easier to get through because the material wasn’t as difficult.”
“Junior year has been my hardest year so far,” junior Lex Mansour said. “I think it is just because of the workload and stress knowing we aren’t even in our last year yet.”
Others think that junior year hasn’t been too rough, especially when compared to the trials that occurred with virtual school and the return to in-person school last year.
“I don’t think junior year has been that bad so far,” junior Rae Fridley said. “I would say sophomore year was by far the toughest due to COVID and its effect on me mentally.”
And while some students find online college courses to be a source of stress, junior Gio Cacciato has been able to use that class period to his advantage.
“Junior year has not been my hardest year because I have had a pretty light homework load so far this semester,” Cacciato said. “Because of my online period, I can get things done then and not have to worry about them later.”
Many students cited standardized testing like the PSAT and ACT as a major point of stress.
“I am extremely nervous because [the ACT] is an important test, and unfortunately that test can be what defines me on certain college applications,” junior Brooklyn Pease said. “Considering I’ve been online for two relatively important structural years to prepare for this test, I feel very unprepared and like I’m missing pieces of important information.”
“I think it’s pretty upsetting how much pressure is put upon students for the ACT and SAT,” Dasher said. “It makes school so much harder and less enjoyable when you’re cramming for huge tests instead of enjoying the learning process.”
Senior Declan Leigh remembers being nervous for testing during his junior year.
“I was so nervous that I feel like I got a worse score than I could have, but I had no reason to be,” Leigh said. “I should have just studied a bit and done my best.”
Another factor that can be stressful for students is having to consider a career path. Although it is not a requirement to make a career decision during junior year, some students are feeling the pressure.
“The hardest class I’m taking right now is the AVID elective, and it’s not due to the curriculum; it’s due to the fact the entire class is devoted to narrowing down your college choices,” Fridley said. “The class has made me realize how freaked out I am about choosing my future at the age of 17 or 18.”
Although junior year can be demanding, some students enjoy the challenge.
“Although classes this year have been really difficult, I’d say that’s what makes them so much more interesting,” Dasher said. “I’m especially enjoying my AP Environmental Science class right now. Taking more specialized classes makes learning much more fun in my opinion.”
For others, friends and classmates have been a highlight of an otherwise hard year.
“Honestly, I’ve got a lot going on between harder classes, playing a sport and having a job,” Pease said. “So if anything makes [this year] more enjoyable, it’s probably the people I’m around through some of it.”
“My friends have made this year extremely enjoyable,” Fridley said. “They are one of, if not the only reason I enjoy school.”
For the current seniors, an extra condition was applied onto their junior year that made things even harder: COVID-19. In addition to having to learn entirely online, it was much more difficult for the now-seniors to have those interactions with friends that others cited as so beneficial.
“Junior year has definitely been my hardest year so far, part of it was probably because of the classes I took, and part of it was also probably because I was online for most of it,” senior Brenna Brown said.
Senior Maylin Espinoza struggled with Precalculus in particular because of the challenges associated with being online.
“…I wasn’t able to receive the help I really needed [when we were] fully online,” Espinoza said. “It was hard to sit and watch 20 to 30 minute videos and have to teach myself the prior knowledge I had learned from Math III a year ago.”
Upon reflection, some of the seniors wish they had done some things differently during their junior year and offer some advice to the current junior class.
“Looking back, I would probably try to enjoy more of the little moments I had with my friends because I definitely had the time, but I just didn’t realize it,” Brown said.
“I wish I had a better understanding of limits [during junior year],” Leigh said. “Those stressful semesters taught me the dangers of overexertion. While I don’t regret them, I learned the valuable lesson of balancing my undertakings.”
