Junior Year: The Lock In

Junior year will likely be the most stressful year in your high school career, but that’s a good thing! This year you should challenge yourselves in terms of course load and hone in on your extracurriculars. But this doesn’t mean junior year is all doom and gloom- by finding time in your schedule to take care of yourself and have fun, this can be a great year. 

Aug-Oct: 

• Focus on your academics 

  • Junior year is the last full-year transcript that gets sent to colleges - make sure to make it count! 

  • If your school offers them (and you haven’t taken them already), definitely consider taking honors, AP, and DE (dual enrollment) classes. If you have ideas about your future career, take rigorous classes in that field.

  • Seriously consider your limits and schedule. If you have a time consuming extracurricular, such as a job or a sport, don’t try to overburden yourself by taking too many difficult classes. 

  • Remember, balance is key. While it may seem appealing to take a plethora of difficult classes at the start of the year, it isn’t worth it to be struggling with them the entire year. Try to push yourself, but not over your limit.

• Consider your extracurriculars

  • As school starts, write down all the extracurriculars you currently have or have participated in during high school - this is to give you a good idea of how much you’ve done and what else you might want to work on. 

  • When considering your activities, remember that while there are more obvious extracurriculars such as sports and clubs, extracurriculars such as hobbies, sports, and family responsibilities also count as extracurriculars. 

  • If you are applying for college: it’s important that you show leadership in your activities. Look for leadership positions in activities you already do and in new ones.  

• Standardized tests

  • This is your SAT/ACT. Consider which test is for you, because while they both look the same to colleges, the tests vary in time, format, and even content.

  • Plan out your SAT/ACT testing schedule. For most people, it’s common to take the test multiple times to get the best score, so it’s important to start ahead of time. 

  • If you already have colleges and universities in mind, check the average ACT/SAT scores of that school to find your target score.

• Start studying! The SAT and ACT are not tests that can be studied in a couple days- it takes time to get used to the content covered and format. Remember that a little goes a long way! Studying early in moderate increments provides a solid foundation for the test.

• If you’re really feeling ahead of the curve, take one of these tests during Aug-Oct, to see where you are and how much you might want to improve. 

Nov-Dec:

• Finish the year strong 

  • It can be really easy to feel burned out at this time, so make sure you are taking care of your physical and emotional health. 

  • Self-care looks different for everyone, but make sure you are spending time with family and doing things you love. 

• Build relationships with teachers 

  • When applying to college, you will definitely need at least two strong teacher recommendations and one counselor recommendation. Spend time getting to know your teachers/counselor that you think you have the best bonds with. 

  • This can include staying after school, asking for specific advice, participating in class, and showing your interests outside of a classroom setting. 

  • Don’t try to force a bond with a teacher just because of their subject or grade in the class, look at what comes naturally. 

• SAT/ACT schedule 

  • At this point, you should have hopefully taken your first SAT/ACT.  If this score is not something you are happy with, you should definitely try dedicating around 1-2 consistent hours of studying per day. 

  • If you are unhappy with your score and don’t think you can improve, that’s totally okay! Many schools are test-optional or don’t even consider SAT/ACT in their admissions process. The next step for you would be finding the ones that do not. 

• Focus in on your extracurriculars 

  • Find at least 1-2 extracurriculars you currently do or are planning on doing and really spend some time building them up. Remember that it’s much better to have a couple extracurriculars you are passionate about than many that show little effort or focus. 

Jan-Feb:

• Look for colleges/plan out college visits 

  • Consider your priorities when looking for a college: prestige, opportunities, cost, location, social life, etc. Look for colleges that best fit what is most important to you. 

  • Balance realism and idealism. Look at your academics and extracurriculars and discuss with your counselor and family at what colleges will be targets, safeties, and reaches. While it’s good to aim high, make sure to balance it out with some safe bets. 

  • It’s also important to remember that college is expensive. Discuss with your family as to what the finances might look like in the coming four years.

  • College isn’t for everyone! If you are feeling unsure about going, it would be a good idea to start searching for careers or other avenues of education that don’t require a college degree.

• Plan out next year's schedule

  • Work with your counselor to make sure you are on track to graduate 

  • Different colleges have different class requirements for admission. While most colleges aren’t very strict on their requirements, it’s important to look out for!

• Keep up with your extracurriculars and activities 

  • These last months before your senior year are essential in making your resume look the best it can! 

Mar-May:

• Create an AP testing schedule early 

  • If you are taking AP classes, make sure to create a good testing schedule to ensure you aren’t overwhelmed by the tests come May!

• Look into college visits 

  • Spring break can be a good time to start visiting colleges, especially ones that are close and have a reasonable driving distance

• Make sure you feel prepared to start college apps 

  • Make sure you have a good plan on SAT/ACT testing (or are already done) 

  • Continue applying for leadership positions in various extracurricular opportunities and advancing your resume 

  • Start thinking about different ideas or prompts you might what to write about in your college essay- you could have a running list of ideas to draw from when you start writing the essay. This will really help get your creativity flowing! 

Congratulations, you have officially completed the hardest high school school year! Give yourself a pat on the back, because it definitely wasn’t easy. One final push and you’re ready for the next stage of life!