When you talk to most upperclassmen, they’ll tell you all about Junior year. Junior year is notorious for being one of the toughest years of high school. In my case, Junior year was one of the most stressful yet incredible years of high school. I learned so much in and out of the classroom, as well as made some incredible memories. It’s true that Junior year is tough, but it can also be very rewarding; it can teach you so much about yourself. Here is what Junior year taught me.
1. Time Managment
Typically, Junior year is the year you get the opportunity to enroll in AP courses. While AP can offer so much, it is important to sit down and really look at what you really want to do and what you actually have time to do. In my case, before Junior year I was involved in sports at my high school. When Junior year came around, I, without proper thinking, enrolled myself into 3 AP classes; AP Physics 1, AP U.S. History, and AP Language and Composition. Once the year began catching momentum, I soon realized that I was having less and less time to myself; my AP courses began to require more time due to more workload. This is when I had to really ask myself what was more important to me, being involved in sports or my grades. I ended up dropping sports that year and focusing on my school work. See as things started to pick up, I realized that I had less time to do activities that I enjoyed like hanging out with friends, this was due to how demanding these courses are. Don’t get me wrong, AP courses are very rewarding but they are AP for a reason, they’ll push you. I really had to manage how I spent my time both at school and at home, I had to keep in mind that my mental and physical health were just as important as my GPA. So I ended up managing my time, making sure that I did what I had to do in order to be successful even if that meant I had to sacrifice things I enjoyed to do.
2. The Importance of Involvement
During my Junior year, I also became involved at my school, I joined both StuCo and my school’s leadership organization. All I can say about this is that is has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences ever. Just being involved in leadership has made me a better leader. It’s taught me the importance of serving others and it has also given me so many opportunities. If there is one piece of advice that I could give any incoming high school Freshman, it would be to get involved. Being involved in both your school and community opens the door to many friendships, partnerships, mentorships, etc. If you find at least something that you are passionate about, make sure to keep with it. It will honestly offer you memories and experiences of a lifetime. Involvement has also helped me realize that I want to pursue something within the Humanities, as cliche as it may sound I honestly enjoy helping others.
3. The Meaning of Friendship
This past year, I learned a lot about friendships. As the year picked up the pace, I found myself lost within my friend group. I felt left out, out of touch. I didn’t feel like I belonged in that group. Their interests and or goals didn’t align with mine as well as I just felt as if there wasn’t a true connection among us anymore. Eventually, I parted ways, I found new friends as well as strengthened my connection with some of my other friends. They have become such a pivotal part in my success this past year. They’ve pushed me and made me realize that I could achieve so much. One of my friends, in particular, has stuck by me since kindergarten. I’m so thankful for all the support and fun times we’ve shared throughout the years. It didn’t hit me until recently that I’m really going to miss her and the friendship we have once graduation rolls around. She’s the epitome of a true friend.
4. Enjoying My Time
My high school is very rich in tradition. We have some of the best pep assemblies in the city as well as engage in many traditions that date back to the early days of the school. These are some of the most cherished and anticipated events at our school. I wouldn’t want to miss out on them. Although school is very important, it is also important to enjoy the time you have with the people you love. You’re in high school one, make sure to make the most out of it. That being said I’m not saying you should go out and do crazy stuff just for the hell of it, I’m saying that you should also take time to make memories and spend time with friends and loved ones because there will soon come a time where the people that you love may be miles away or even gone. Don’t live regret but rather live the adventure.
Whether youll be a Junior next year, or you’re entering college I feel like these sentamintes will ring true in any situation. High school is what you make of it, so enjoy and savor every moment of it. These are the memories that will follow you for a lifetime.
