Junior year is an extremely crucial year for students as they begin to start preparing for their graduation and in most cases, their move to college. During this year, junior students are encouraged to take a variety of tests including the PSAT, the SAT, multiple English SOL’s, AP tests and in some cases the ACT. Although not all of these tests are mandatory, they can better their chances of getting into their preferred colleges by taking them. 

As a junior myself, throughout the course of this year, I have completed all of these tests to try and increase my academic record so that I can get into each college that I will be applying for in the fall of next year. To prepare for tests like the SAT and the AP exams, I used a variety of different tools to make sure that I got the best score I possibly could. For the SAT specifically, I attended a preparation class two times a week and additionally, I used online sources to practice potential questions that could pop up on the test. In preparation for my AP exams, I worked a lot with my teachers to make sure that I understood material that did not make sense to me, and I also took practice exams online to figure out my strengths and weaknesses. 

In retrospect, I would definitely say that 11th grade is a more challenging year for a majority of students, especially since many of them, like me, have to balance school work, testing, jobs and extracurricular activities. 

Personally, junior year has been the most difficult year for me because not only did I have many academic challenges, but I also had a severe injury that set me back from being on track. It took a lot, but I was able to make it to the finish line successfully, especially because of the help from my teachers and counselors. 

If I were to give advice to the rising juniors, I would say that prioritizing your time is key, and I would also advise them not to fall behind because everything will begin to add up. Another thing that I would tell them is to not let school consume them. It can be quite difficult not to let the stress of school take over, but at the same time, it is very important to still enjoy outside of school activities and to not put them to the side. 

The last thing that I would like the rising junior class to know is that it is okay to ask for help. Most teachers completely understand the struggles of junior year and in most cases are always willing to listen and work with you so that you can be successful.