Rising Junior Blog Post

Written by Joanna He

My advice to you
Hello! My name is Joanna He and I will be sharing some tips and tricks that might help you better prepare yourself for junior year. First off, I’d like to mention that what they say about junior year, is true. Yes, it will be your hardest year in highschool and yes it can be VERY stressful. There are multiple factors to junior year that you need to keep in mind and in fact, they all actually connect with one another.I’ve definitely learned a lot throughout my junior year, so these words of advice are actually based on my own personal experiences.

Scheduling
One key point that I have to mention is to NOT PILE SO MANY AP/IB CLASSES ONTO YOURSELF UNLESS YOU KNOW YOU CAN HANDLE IT!!! Trust me, I know this from personal experience. Last year, I thought that I could handle 4 AP classes, but in reality, it was way too overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, I do know people that are fully capable of taking multiple AP classes and do perfectly fine. Just know what you can handle. Taking a lot of AP classes won’t mean anything if you don’t pass them, so make sure you’re aware of what to expect from each class.

SAT help or help in general
This category, in general, is one that I struggled with the most. When you are a junior, there are 2 things that are very important. Number 1: Maintain a good GPA and number 2: Getting a good SAT/ACT score. Different people study in different ways. There are some people who start prepping for these exams as early as their freshman year. But, there are also people, like me, who don’t start until about half way through their junior year. ( I do not recommend this haha.. It didn’t turn out well and is now haunting me) Regardless on whichever method that you choose, I HIGHLY recommend getting that extra help if you need it. When people tell you to study for the SAT, they tell you to take multiple practice tests but what they don’t tell you is that the SAT is not material based, it’s knowing HOW the test is structured. A lot of students find it more beneficial to study by themselves with a practice book. However, for me, I preferred having someone who was experienced in taking the SAT help me. Every time my mom asked if I needed an SAT tutor, I said no, simply because I didn’t want to look dumb in front of my friends or looked like I needed the extra help. As my junior year was coming to an end, I started to realize that I have not started studying, my score stayed the same and I was applying to colleges soon. That’s when it hit me that I needed to get help. My mom and I did some research on a couple of different places that I could go to and found one that had everything I needed. Ever since I finally reached out and got the extra help that I needed, I started to see some progress. I took a practice test and noticed that my score increased by 200 points!! If you think that you need help on the SAT or just your classes in general, reach out and get the help that you need!! Ultimately, this is your future you are building so don’t feel ashamed if you need a little extra help than your friends.

Above everything make sure you sleep!!!
Whether you are completing an assignment you put off or simply lost track of time doing homework, always make time for you to sleep! Sleeping is especially beneficial to students as sleep helps restore energy that we can use the next day. A good night's sleep also helps your body to fight off common infections by releasing key hormones while you sleep. Some tips and tricks I have to help achieve a good night’s sleep is to practice your time management, try to avoid having all nighters, don’t take naps during the day, and don't leave all of your assignments for the weekend to complete them all. Most of these things that I just listed I’m guilty of haha. BUT, I don’t want you guys to ruin your sleep schedules. Sleep is important!!! I hope this helps you guys! Junior year will be the toughest year yet for most people and you will feel like giving up at times but just remember that even if you fail, as long as you gave it your all, that’s truly what matters the most. Good luck! You’ll do great sweetie! :)))




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