Dear Future Junior,
You‘re almost at your halfway point of high school. You now know all your classes for next year, and I bet it is getting harder to contain your excitement for summer. While summer is near , the start of junior year looms, with the notions of possibly taking your first AP classes, trying new electives, and preparing further for your college endeavor.
You’ve likely heard the rumors of the “notorious junior year,” supposedly the worst of your education yet. Posts on social media and talk from upperclassmen along with the scare of the allegedly momentous workload ahead may have instated worry for many of you.
And yes, the unfortunate truth is that junior year is truly harder. Harder classes, standardized test studying, college hunting, higher demands from extracurricular activities. All of this while also trying to balance your social life and mental wellbeing. Still, don’t let these developments intimidate you.
As someone who is about to end their junior year, who was in the exact same state of worry as you are now, I can confidently say it is not as terrifying as you think it is. Junior year, despite its negative connotation, has been my favorite year of high school so far. I took my most favorite history class to date, got further involved with various clubs and school activities, and continued to forge stronger relationships with my friends and peers.
I was nervous I would be buried with the workload, that I would never be able to understand the chemistry concepts or complete all the APUSH notes. However, there is one month until the class of 2026 becomes the oldest at Needham High, and I’m proud to say that all my APUSH notes are completed, and chemistry can (sometimes) be fun.
Oh and I know, as you are reading this, your thoughts keep jumping back to those photo TikToks with the big white text, proclaiming how awful next year will be (trust me they keep popping up in my feed too). While they do have some merit to them, and everyone has a different junior year experience, be aware still that you are just seeing posts from random people, and the likes and shares are inflated by the creators main target audience: yourself (aka the graduating sophomore).
So while I cannot speak for everyone, I can speak for myself, and what worked to keep me calm and collected during a year that seemed to be headed straight for heavy turbulence.
The first thing to always keep in mind is balance. This has likely been ingrained into your mind already, but I need to underscore how true it is. It is okay to hang out with your friends, go out, “doom scroll” on TikTok, watch a new series, read and reread a variety of novels, connect with nature outside, cook a new meal and so so much more. But with this, your school work must get done. Use these fun activities to motivate yourself, give you that “light at the end of the tunnel,” and most importantly keep you exposed to the world outside the pile of Google Docs.
The next, and probably biggest recommendation I have is to put your phone in a different room when doing homework or studying. It can be difficult, especially when you get to a boring era of U.S history or an especially confusing part of pre-calc. Yet, using your phone as a distraction for when you get stressed from school work will just make you inevitably more stressed, since now your time meant to be dedicated to school got replaced by your phone.
My last tip for now (although there are so many more) is organization. I know you have heard this before, and have likely attempted it in a variety of ways. Though obviously familiar with the notion, it may be helpful to hear a retiring junior’s form of it. My way of organizing was actually quite simple. At the start of the year I purchased a physical notebook planner, and at the start of each month I wrote down the upcoming responsibilities I was already aware of. This helped me to literally see how my days were being filled, and from there allowed me to slowly incorporate more activities and study sessions into each day box. This was my strategy, and I can confidently say it kept me on top of my schedule.
So, rising junior, you have some decisions in front of you. You can choose to spend the summer in fear of the terrors of junior year, or you can begin to initiate and think through the different strategies that will work best for YOU during the busy (and fun) year to come. Take advice from your friends, online sources, books, or even this letter. Whatever you choose, just make sure it allows you to be confident as you go into junior year. You never know: at this time next year you may also be proclaiming to the nervous sophomores that junior year is not as bad as they think it will be.