Sam Grant:

We all know of the Freshmen Fears. I’m sure we might have actually possessed these common fears as freshman, being the newbies in high school. It certainly wasn’t fun or easy. Nobody said it was going to be. If you’re a freshman reading this, understand that it does get better…. when you’re a senior. Kind of… I hope. I wouldn’t know yet. Sophomore year does get a tad better because you’re no longer viewed as the “baby” of the school. But sophomore year still has its ups and downs, as does every year. But still being an underclassman means you don’t have as many privileges as juniors and seniors do. But don’t worry, you’ll get your turn I promise you.

I thought life would get better for me when I entered junior year. Oh was I wrong. Junior year has truly been something, I can tell you that. Why? First off, the work is horrendous. If procrastination was your go-to, then I recommend you find another “go-to” because procrastination won’t do you any good here. Instead, get your work done ASAP and DO NOT wait until the last minute. Nobody wants to be cram-studying or just starting a 6 page essay the night before it’s due. I strongly recommend taking courses that challenge you, because they will prepare you for college. However taking several honor classes along with a few college courses can sure be exhausting, It will pay off in the long run, but right now it is pure torture. Or at least it seems like it.

I spend about 4 hours every night on homework. This doesn’t sound too harsh but add in 2 hour long practices/ games on top of that. I can’t complain much because this is the path I chose. I have to stick with it and preserve. In addition, we all want to have a good social life and be able to hang with friends and family, but that gets pushed aside and goes to the bottom of the priority list even if you are thinking about making it your #1 priority. Also, forget about sleep. I hope you didn’t value it much because you won’t be getting a lot of it. I can assure you that.

Junior year is the year you must really crack down and start thinking about what you might want to do in life and what college you are planning to attend. Don’t panic though if you’re still unsure when you are a junior. I’m still a little unsure. But you will figure it out. It will be okay. Everything will work out in the end. I guess for now, I just have to live in the moment and take things one step at a time. Being determined and motivated during times like these is the best advice I can give to anyone. Just know there are many people in the same boat as you. Don’t be afraid to get help from teachers and friends, because I’m sure they’d be more than happy to help! Let’s see how a few other juniors feel about their junior year:

Joshua Rumsey (co-writer with Sam Grant on This Week In Galway):

Yeah junior year sucks toes. I’m supposed to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I also can’t legally drive past 9 p.m.. Too many things of equal importance will drown you this year. Schoolwork, sports, a social life, sleep, Minecraft… it all has to balance perfectly. I was a major procrastinator in previous years, still am, but I’m getting nae’ nae’d considerably more this time around.  College is the main reason why school work is more stressful, I believe. Almost every night I get harassed for not knowing what colleges I want to visit and apply to. The majors tests, the SAT and ACT are also bundles of absolutely no fun. I know it all sucks, but keeping a positive attitude about it all has kept me afloat. The work I have to do will be there anyways, why not meme while you’re at it!

Cori Hardcastle:

This year has kicked my butt. As a junior I have a plethora of things to be on top of; including homework, sports, extracurriculars, and my job. I would like to say that I have a social life, but at this point they are just people who suffer through the weeks with me. That is just my weekly requirements. We also need to start planning for college and everything that comes with it. Up until this point in my life I slept over 9 hours each night. Now the only thing getting me through my day is coffee, and a lot of it. “SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK” is all I keep telling myself hoping it will come true. Everyday I say that I need more hours in a day, but physically and mentally I couldn’t handle that. To all the underclassmen coming up, enjoy your sleep and freedom now because it will soon be nonexistent. Also, forget about procrastinating, and doing anything fun on school nights because you will be drowning in a mixture of assignments and tears. It will get better, you know, at graduation. See ya, love ya, bye!

Natalie Zembsch:

This year has really been the one with the most amount of stress and work by far. On top of trying to keep up with regular homework, sports, and extracurriculars and work, this is the year for touring colleges and prepping for those tests! I mean, I literally dream about sleep. But for me, I’m just reminding myself to enjoy the little things right now and stay in the moment. So for you underclassmen, focus on being proactive, because procrastination doesn’t always work out in your favor. 🙂 And here’s something Mackenzie Morse told me that makes it all seem a little better — even college kids talk about how awful junior year was, so you’ll get through it too!

Siela Zembsch:

Junior year has definitely been the hardest year of high school yet. Freshman and sophomore years would have a couple difficult weeks filled with due dates and essays, but junior year feels like the complete opposite: a couple of easy weeks to rest and get more than 5 hours of sleep every night. If I could give one piece of advice, it’d definitely be to study — actually study, not cram, and keep up with your work. Develop study skills that work for you while you’re an underclassmen, and learn that leaving a paper to the night before will only make you hate yourself. But don’t worry . . . it’s not all bad! Your friends are all going to be in the same boat with you, and you’ll still have fun. 🙂

Hannah Thompson:

I’ll agree with you junior year has been rough. Although it is nothing I can’t handle, the workload has definitely increased and with that, my stress levels. I haven’t quite mastered the art of learning to operate on minimal sleep, but it is something I’m working on as I simply have no other option. It is frustrating to be going nonstop until collapsing into bed at the end of the day, but I guess it’s what I signed up for right? Basically what I’m saying is everyone around me is going through the same thing and somehow managing to keep it together, so if they can do it so can I. And so can you. You are fully capable of the challenges of junior year if you just focus and apply yourself. My advice would be to take care of yourself. You’re probably reading this thinking that you will have to pull all-nighters every other week just to get your work done. While that may be true, make sure you put your mental and physical health above all else. Know your limits and embrace them, work to your fullest capacity within them. Junior year will be difficult, but it doesn’t have to burn you out unless you let it. With drive and grit you can make it through.

Lily Gullett:

Junior year has been the worst by far. Right now I have two papers to do tonight (one is the six pager that Sam said you don’t want to have to do the night before, she was right), and some math, a game tomorrow, and I haven’t slept more than 6 hours a night this week. I will recommend learning to study, crying once a month at the minimum, USING CLASS TIME IN CLASS, and not procrastinating. (I’m a bit of a hypocrite) On the bright side, you get to have some cool teachers. Mrs. O is one of them even if her essays make me want to drop out. Mr. Toscano is another–he’s a cool youngster that is very nice, and so is Mr. J. So yeah, it isn’t all bad, but it’s definitely going to put you through the wringer. And although the homework might seem endless, remember that it will pay off. Also, don’t stress too much about college. Other people like your parents will probably do enough worrying that you won’t have to. Don’t let Junior year break you, because you’ll still have to get through another one 🙂

Jon Fajans:

Junior year hasn’t been the best. Essays, essays, and more essays. A lot of work and hard classes. Junior year is the year to challenge yourself with harder classes and look at what college you are interested in. But be careful what classes you pick. If you want to push yourself but have too much work, sign up for the honors classes. Even though there’s a lot of work, some of which will be late or the class might plead to move the due date, it will probably be worth it in the end. I would not procrastinate if I were you. I do, and it isn’t helping. So just study. I guess having a life isn’t as good as doing 4 hours of homework. And many essays.