It is a month into the school year and I already want summer to start. Junior year is referred to as the most draining and demanding school year, and it lives up to its reputation. This year has not only been hard physically but also hard mentally. With the stress of SAT prep already looming and having to think about college and current classes, I feel like I cannot catch a break.
Balancing a sport and school is hard for any student at West. Personally, being a varsity volleyball player during my junior year only adds to the stress. I wake up at 6:40 a.m. every morning, go to school till 3:23 p.m. and then practice until 6 p.m. It is even worse when we have games because I don’t get home until 7:30 p.m. at the earliest. I can’t imagine how it is for the swim team because they have practice in the morning before school starts.
The hardest class that I am currently taking is AP Lang [Advanaced Placement English Language and Composition]. It takes a lot of time and energy from you because essays need to be written almost every week. Once, I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. writing a 2,000 word essay because it was due the next day at 3:30 p.m., which is a little excessive of a word count in my opinion. This is the first AP class I have ever taken and because of that, there is a lot of content I need to catch up on.
If you plan to be in the National Honors Society senior year, you must qualify and meet the requirements your junior year. One requirement is to have a 3.5 GPA or higher, which can be a reality check for students to get their GPA up, or take more difficult classes. Also, you have to ensure you participate in two or more activities whether they are clubs, sports, etc., and you must have 20 hours of volunteer hours. Leadership positions go hand in hand with NHS because it would look better on your transcript. Having to meet these requirements is an added worry to an already stressful year.
The SAT is what my fellow classmates and I are nervous about. Not only are many students taking harder classes this year, but they also have to study for the SAT. Practice tests will be your best friend junior year because you can get a feel of what will be on the SAT.
Junior year come with the pressure to balance your SAT prep, maintain your GPA, be in an activity or other extracurriculars and have a good social life. On top of all that, you have to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. Personally, I want to be either a PA (physician assistant) or RN (registered nurse) for pediatrics. However, many people don’t know what they want to be yet. Even though your junior year is a reality check that you won’t be in school forever, make the most of the little moments and make memories with your friends.
