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How to Survive Junior Year

By: Jesse Boxenhorn

To my fellow juniors…we all know that junior year is known to be the hardest. This year we will have to begin to look at colleges, take the ACT and SAT, try to maintain a good GPA, participate in clubs and extracurriculars, and more. It seems with all this to do and no time to do it all, our brains are going to explode. Well, I’m here to somewhat put that all into perspective and give you guys three helpful tips that I am going to use to survive this year.

Tip number one: time management. Time management is key whether you’re a junior or a freshman. If you plan your time better you will be able to fit in fun things like hanging out with friends on the weekends, which I mention in the next tip. Waiting until the last second to study for a big test or start a project is not ideal and does not lead to success. I recommend getting a planner to write down when everything is due and what you have going on that week inside and outside of school. This way you, one, won’t forget any assignments or meetings you have to make and, two, can figure out when the best time would be to start a project or finish that SAT packet your tutor gave you.

Tip number two: make time for things that bring you joy. It’s important to not become a crazy person and dedicate your whole life solely to school and the scores you achieve. It’s good to take time to do the things that bring you joy to maintain a stable environment psychologically. If you do this periodically you are less likely to have a freak out or just be stressed out in general. Taking a break to get ice cream with friends or watching your favorite Youtuber is completely normal. Every teenager isn’t expected to run 24 hours straight focusing on school. 

Tip number three: learn from your mistakes. This last and final tip is a big one. Learning from your mistakes is the best way to understand what works for you and what doesn’t. It’s totally okay to mess up and get one bad grade or forget a homework. Obviously, we don’t want this to be a repeating pattern, but making mistakes shows how we can  improve. Maybe you forgot about that homework because you had football practice late at night and fell asleep when you got home. From that, you can talk to the coach about adjusting football practice to an earlier time, so that you won’t be tired and will remember to do your homework. Possibly you got a bad grade; well, change your study habits. Try flashcards or get together a study group. Making mistakes is totally normal and as shown, in the end, produces success. 

I hope that this has helped put junior year into simpler terms or at least gave you some advice on how to get started. I wish all of my fellow juniors good luck and welcome back!

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