Junior year is the hardest year of high school. But it’s also the most fun. I have so many fond memories from that year, but that’s because I was so busy. I could appreciate everything more. Junior year is crunch time. Senior year is pretty relaxing after college applications are sent in, so Junior year contains a year’s worth of college stress. Good luck and I hope this helps.
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- Other Posts In This Series
- How To Prepare For College In Your Freshman Year Of High School
- How To Prepare For College In Your Sophomore Year Of High School
- How To Prepare For College In Your Junior Year Of High School (You’re Reading It!)
- How To Prepare For College In Your Senior Year Of High School
- Other Posts In This Series
//Keep Your Grades Up And Keep Up With Your Extracurricular Activities
I’ve elaborated on this in my previous posts, so I’ll keep this short and sweet.
1. ) Make sure to keep your GPA up, despite the harder classes.
2.) Keep up with your clubs, community service, and job. Colleges like consistent, well-rounded people.
//Apply For Junior Leadership Roles
Junior year is usually when leadership positions are available. Take advantage of this opportunity because it’s definitely a booster for college applications. If you’re even remotely interested, you should apply. I certainly wish I had followed this tip. Colleges like seeing student leaders. Of course, not everyone can be a leader, but if you’re interested, you should try.
//Cultivate Good Relationships With Your Teachers
The recommendations you need for college generally come from Junior year because that is the closest year to when you send your applications. You won’t be able to ask your teachers in senior year for letters of recommendation because you’ll only have known them for two months when you send them in. You may be able to get away with a rec from Sophomore year, but Junior year is best. Always turn in your homework and get to class on time. These are things that your teacher will write about to colleges.
//Start Touring College Campuses
Look at all the schools you are interested in that are near you and learn information about them. Meet other prospective students and listen to the experiences of current ones. The environment you see will influence your decision. It can help you decide whether or not you want to attend a small or large school.
//Take The SATs/ACTs (More Than Once)
My dad is a SAT/ACT tutor. It’s one of his side-hustles. He says that everyone should take both then take the one they did better on again. I did better on the ACT, so I only took the SATs once and the ACTs three times. I kept getting a better score every time I took it. I wouldn’t take any more than three times, though. I only took it the third time because my parents made me, but it didn’t hurt. I think taking it only one time is a waste because you can do so much better once you recognize the test format.
I recommend getting these tests over with Junior year because it’ll save you a lot of stress in Senior year when you have more work to do for college applications.
//Research College Applications And Financial Aid
There are so many different parts of the college application process that it’s easy to forget a step. Start researching as soon as possible and make sure to communicate with your parents because you’ll need a lot of help from them. Start saving for application fees and understand how much financial aid you can get based on your parents’ income. Researching little things like that will save you a lot of headache later on.
Related – An Extensive College Application Timeline
//Start Thinking Of Ideas For Your Essay
Your essay is an important part of your college application. It’s how a college will separate you from your GPA and test scores. Speaking for myself, I am a terrible test taker. Tests don’t display my knowledge well. I shine in essays and interviews. I got a $64,000 scholarship last year based on an interview. And I’m pretty sure that’s because I was funny. I made my interviewer laugh a lot. I talked about my future plans and passions, of course, but I’m sure it all chalks up to me making her laugh.
Make a lasting impression. Not all colleges give interviews, so your essay is where you make yourself shine.
This post is shorter than I thought it was going to be, but I wrote short paragraphs for big points. Follow all these rules in your junior year. It’ll save you a sh*t ton of stress. Especially since it’s the most stressful year. I hope this helped.
//Pictures Of Me From My Junior Year Of High School
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What did you do in your junior year of high school to prepare for college?
My daughter is going to be a junior and prepping for the ACT right now — and she asked if I was going to “make her take it more than once” ? Glad I found your post so she can read about it from someone with experience. Lots of great tips here – thanks!