Junior year in a nutshell: a student wakes up in a cold sweat after realizing they forgot to do the essay for AP English last night. This stress multiplies because of the infamous Friday night football game that students are required to attend for various extracurriculars.
To make matters worse, they realize they forgot to study for history, biology and pre-calculus quizzes because of their extensive practice the night before. These quizzes can’t be failed because grades matter the most in junior year. Along with the core classes and extracurriculars, juniors manage college preparation, as well as studying for the ACT and SAT. All of these tasks make for a never-ending cycle of pressure.
Usually, students show signs of stress after the first few months of the school year. The difficulty of junior year varies from the rest of high school, which creates a pathway for suffocating anxiety to make an appearance every morning and remain throughout the day.
The term “junior jitters” refers to more than the stress and pressure that students experience in their third year of high school, but also to the overpowering reality that this year defines the rest of their lives.
Many Texas High juniors experience this seemingly infinite period of distress during their school year.
“I’m feeling junior jitters because [this] year is the most difficult year in high school [so far],” junior Sophia Chavez said. “My stress is also due to the constant state of challenges I’m going through.”
Numerous aspects contribute to making this year more challenging than others, including the piles of schoolwork required in the advanced classes taken by students in order to achieve high ranks.
“The most stressful part of junior year is trying to stay on top of all [my] school work,” junior Micah Dempsey said. “I have loads of paperwork to do, and it’s hard to catch up if [I] miss school.”
Another demanding element of the school year includes the mandatory standardized tests for colleges, which according to Khan Academy, call for preparation of at least three to six months in advance of the testing date.
“Junior year is when taking tests like the ACT and SAT is important,” Chavez said. “Studying for [high] scores is always something to strive for.”
The shift of additional work and energy put into the classes taken during junior year compared to other years highlights students’ struggles regarding managing class work.
“Junior year has a lot of hard classes like AP,” junior Payton Shuman said. “It takes a lot of time and effort to complete the work, which stresses people out.”
Aside from the labors of junior year, many students use different methods to help them get through a long year of prioritizing academics, staying organized, managing stress and focusing on their future.
“Balancing schoolwork and extracurriculars takes time,” Chavez said. “Having a planner helps me [maintain organization].”
