Junior year: College applications and standardized tests

Junior year is a demanding time for many students. In addition to being the start of the college search process, many students have to prepare for standardized tests while simultaneously taking more rigorous classes.

According to Northwestern Medicine, having a routine can lead to improved mental health and help with sleep. Senior Ben Cifu recommends following a routine and making a schedule, especially for those who are worried about adapting to the new environment 

“For the first few weeks of school, take a look at what you are planning on doing, see what you know and block out some dates on your calendar and start thinking about how you are going to lay out your year,” Ben said. 

During junior year students are exposed to the college process. For many who don’t know where to begin, it can be overwhelming. Ben recommends to start by visiting different types of schools to have an idea of what you are interested in.

“After you have a sense of generally what type of school you like and generally what type of programs to look for, then you can start doing more research and focusing on what schools are out there that sort of fulfill these requirements,” Ben said. 

For senior Franzi Wild, standardized testing was one of the most stressful parts of the college application process. 

“I wish I had at the beginning of junior year taken the SAT once, because that would have really lowered my stress level later on in junior year when I was worrying about other parts of the college process,” Franzi said. 

While Franzi and Ben think it’s important to have some ideas in mind about college, Franzi says there is no need to over-stress the college admissions process during junior year. She also emphasizes that there is still room for improvement from junior to senior year.

“I think I changed a lot between junior and senior year. In that period of growing and changing, I realized what I really wanted in terms of college. And I think one of the major things for me was just having that growth,” Franzi said. “Not knowing where I wanted to go to college for a lot of my junior year was totally fine for me.” 

Franzi also recommends taking a rigorous course load and getting graduation requirements out of the way to lighten the course load for senior year while also balancing stress level.

“I wish I made even more time [for friends] than I did, because you don’t get that time back. Grades are important junior year, but grades aren’t everything, and high school is a lot more than just your GPA and where you end up for college,” Franzi said. “In the end, everybody goes to college, everybody ends up where they’re going to be happy. So it’s OK to slow down and smell the roses.”