You have now entered your Junior year of high school, and things are really starting to get a bit more serious than your first two years. Lots of people say that you Junior year is the hardest and most important year of your high school journey, and although I do not disagree, I think every single year is important. The thing that sets Junior year apart from the rest, is that this year is the year that will most likely set your Senior year up for success. Keep reading to learn how you can have a successful Junior year!
Do your best in your classes and challenge yourself if the class is too easy!
When you are a Senior and applying to college, they will not have access to your Senior year grades, but instead they will judge you based off your Junior year grades. If you did not do well your Junior year, you might need to reconsider which colleges you'd like to apply to.
Take advantage of CIS, PSEO, DCPP, CTE, etc., here you can earn college level credits!
Do your best to maintain at least a weighted GPA of 3.0 or higher!
Begin thinking about your skills and interests and start narrowing down which ones most identify with you! And transfer these qualities into a career!
Career quizzes are extremely helpful and can help you identify at least the category of a career that you could possibly go into.
Talk to your teachers, counselors, mentors, and friends about careers that you might be interested in.
Begin thinking about what kind of pathway you'd like to take in order to get to your career choice.
Attend a 4-yr college? 2 yr? Trade School? Certificate program?
Take advantage of classes that might be offered at Johnson that could help introduce you to a career of your interest!
Make a plan and be prepared! Your Senior year is just a few steps ahead of you, it will be here sooner than later!
One of the biggest milestones to achieve your Junior year is taking the ACT test, which usually happens in the Spring. Johnson will host a free ACT test day for Juniors- keep an eye out for more information about this coming soon.
What is the ACT Test? This is a big test that Juniors take when they're getting ready to apply to college. This test helps colleges see how ready you are for college-level work. The test measures what you've learned in school in four main areas:
English
Math
Reading
Science
There’s also an optional writing (essay) section.
What score can you get? The ACT is scored between 1 to 36. Anything above a 24 is considered a good score, however, the national average ACT score is between 20 to 21.
Do not be discouraged though if you don't do so well on the ACTs. Colleges look at you as a whole student, so your grades and extracurricular activities will definitely help you get into college despite maybe getting a low ACT score.
How do I prepare for the ACT test? If you are in a College Access Program (like CP, TRIO UB, TRIO ETS, Breakthrough), they will have opportunities for you to practice the ACT test. Otherwise, you can connect with Mr. Billy to help you find resources to prepare you for the ACTs. You can also find resources online to help you prepare for the ACT test. There are lots of options!
One day, you're going to want to get a job or an internship somewhere, and the thing that will help you get that are your experiences, your character, and a resume.
What is a resume? A resume is a short page (or digital document) that tells people about you when you're trying to get something—like a job, an internship, a scholarship, or even a special program at school. It can show:
Who you are
What school you go to
What skills you have
What activities you're in (like sports, clubs, or volunteering)
If you have not already yet, I highly suggest that you join a school club, or a school sport, or get an internship with Right Track, volunteer somewhere, be a part of a community outside of school, and so on.
By your Senior year, you should be able to list at least 5 things you've done in and out of school that has helped build your skills and character. If you are struggling to list 5 things, you should consider participating in something as soon as possible.
See this page HERE for more details on building your resume and character
It is so important that you are always making sure you are on-track to graduate.
Just because you have a lot of credits already, does not mean you have taken all of the required credits in order to graduate!
Make sure to check-in with your Counselor to make sure you are good to go for graduation!
Not sure who your counselor is? Your counselor is dependent on the beginning of your LAST NAME. Find them below!
Last Names A, B, Vb-Z - Ms. Sone Her
Last Names C-J - Ms. Samina Ali
Last Names K-Q - Ms. Alex Slezak
Last Names R-Va - Mr. Ker Yang
Although it is extremely important to power down and rest during your summer break, it is also extremely important to plan some things to-do during the summer right before your Senior year! This can consist of:
Go and tour college campuses that you are interested in possibly attending! I encourage you to go in August, as the weather is great, campus is usually beautiful, and students are moving in and getting ready for their college classes.
Get an internship! You can connect with Mr. Billy or Ms. Voigt about getting an internship!
Work! Get a job and make some money all while developing your leadership and soft skills!
Volunteer somewhere! There are always events in the community that are searching for volunteers! This could help you give back to the community all while building your character!
Look and prepare for scholarships that you could possibly apply for right at the beginning of your Senior year!
Competitive scholarships are usually open right as your Senior year starts.
Of course, don't forget to have fun during your summer!
Various college campus visits and tours - Happens throughout the school year
National College Fair - Takes place in October
Take PSEO and/or DCPP Courses - Here you can earn college/career credits; connect with Ms. Voigt to learn more
Dunwoody P2C Program - Application opens in the Spring; this is a paid 3-week summer opportunity to learn about careers at Dunwoody College
The Posse Scholarship - Apply the summer right before your Senior year! This is a full-ride scholarship to Macalester College
Apply for an internship with Genesys Works - Corporate internship, training over the summer, then half-school-days-half-paid-work-days
Get a job with Right Track - Connect with Ms. Voigt to learn more
Be part of the Achieve Twin Cities Advisory Board - Connect with Mr. Billy to learn more
Join College Possible - Only if they are recruiting
Join TRIO ETS - Only if they are recruiting
Various clubs and sports
Various internships - Connect with Ms. Voigt to learn more
Sign-up to be a Govie Leader! Connect with. Mr. Schmitz or Ms. Krois to learn more