Every junior I have talked to has told me that next year, I’m in for a shock.  Any senior will tell you that junior year is by far the worst of the four. With great “seniority!!” comes lots of stress and hard work. So what can I, now a lowly underclassmen, do to make the transition and the next year easier?

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s knowing I’m in over my head, and if there’s one thing I’m in over my head with, its college.  I went on a tour of the University of Texas in Austin, just to get a feel for the college thing, and I realized I had no idea what they were talking about.  

Considering colleges you are interested in sooner than later will definitely help in the long run by saving you a lot of time, money, travel and target the GPA and standardized test scores you want.  Also, picking classes that relate to what you may want to study in college and what kind of course requirements colleges you’re interested in have are just a few ways to get ahead.  

In terms of surviving junior year at South, I’ve been told the key is staying on top of everything, i.e. never putting any assignments off, never waiting until the last minute to cram for a test. Yes, this seems like common sense and realistically applies to any grade, but hey, we all do it, and the more work you have to do, the more relevant this advice becomes.

Standardized testing is another huge part of junior year. It’s a good idea to take both the ACT and SAT to see which one you do better on. Beginning to study sooner than later (this year versus next year when you’re swamped with school in general) is another way to make the switch to upperclassmen-hood easier.

Take a tutorial to give yourself some more work time, and don’t forget to take advantage of an art, cooking or creative writing class to keep your creativity flowing and break up your day.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you always have support from South’s staff. Stop into the counselor’s office, college resource center, explore your resources on South’s website or, of course, ask your teachers for help.