One may argue that the most important year of high school is Junior year due to the large workload and high expectations of one’s parents. Most eleventh graders planning on going to college must also take the SAT or ACT this year.  These standardized tests leave students with constant stress because of the impact they have on the college selection process.  Besides the work portion of eleventh grade, kids also must start visiting schools to see what they might like or dislike in a campus and curriculum.  

In my experience, Junior year hasn’t been all that bad.  Then again, I’m only about a month and a half in.  I have been able to keep my grades up so far, and I hope to keep them that way.  Besides grades, colleges also look for extracurriculars and service hours.  These kinds of activities seem to be forgotten by applicants.  It is extremely important to get involved with your school and partake in activities such as these: a sport, club, or volunteer work, etc..  Just recently I began picking out colleges to visit based on location and what kinds of classes they offer.  

My advice to any incoming and fellow juniors is to get involved inside and outside of school, prepare for standardized testing, and start putting together what you might like to do as a career one day.  These three things will not only help you boost your chances of getting into a better school but will also help you narrow down where you might like to look for college.

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