Junior year is typically the most academically challenging year of high school. Students tend to take harder classes as each year goes on. Whether it is intensive homework, constant exams, a busy schedule, or preparing for the SATs, students face new challenges during their junior year. Juniors Sarah LeVan, Josie Garofalo, and Matilda Price share their perspectives on balancing this year’s schedule and rigorous workload.
Sarah LeVan has filled up her schedule this year with AP Chemistry, AP Literature, AP Seminar, AP Human Geography, Physics, Spanish, and Pre-Calculus. She says the first few months of school have been challenging because she was also on the Cross Country team.
“I had to resort to staying up late to do homework and studying because of practices and meets after school,” she recalled. She used to spend GL time doing homework last year, but with that being removed, she had to move that time to work at home. “It was hard adjusting to losing that time,” she claims.
While there have been obstacles, some improvement and success have been evident during her school year so far. She has been better at studying material as she learns it rather than waiting until the test. “Even just a few minutes helps,” she shared. For example, on a Saturday night after a few class periods of chemistry notes, she spent a little bit reviewing the notes to familiarize herself with the material and did not have to go back several weeks later to start studying it for the first time.
Something she wants to improve on in the future is to use her time more efficiently and not get distracted from work as easily. Compared to last year, the schedule has been drastically altered, and doing work is now a completely different process. This is the year that most juniors take the SAT in preparation for college applications. Sarah took the December SAT and plans to take the exam again to see if she can improve even more. “I’m also taking the AP exam for AP Literature, AP Chemistry, AP Seminar, and AP Human Geography.” These exams, if scored well on, can test out students of certain college credits and ultimately save money.
That was difficult to balance while continuing with regular classwork. Sarah explained, “I utilized free time in the schedule to work on assignments last year.” Not having that time has shifted her schedule to finding other times throughout the day or waiting until Flex Days to see teachers get the help she needs. Throughout the year, she has managed better with studying and working outside class. Sarah is very goal-oriented and great at getting on top of work.
Josie Garofalo has also taken very challenging courses, as her schedule consists of the same classes as Sarah. This year, it has been difficult for her to acclimate to balancing academics and biking. Josie explained how detrimental and time-consuming biking has been for her ability to study and just how much of a toll it takes.
“I bike for Laurel Highlands Composite Team and I have been with them for two years. I will have my last NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) season with them this year. I have practice twice a week for two hours per practice, but it takes closer to three or four hours because of the cleanup and commute. We’re also told by our coaches to ride for at least five hours outside of practice weekly, and I have plans or commitments on the weekends so it’s not possible to have longer endurance rides.”
Most of her classes require a lot of time to spend on homework, so she constantly has a lot on her plate. For example, Mr. Reaugh recommends AP Chemistry students spend five hours outside of school per week studying and practicing for the unit exams. Some things she felt she did well were allotting time to study for those exams and writing essays for her writing classes — AP Seminar and AP Literature. In the future, she said, “I want to improve my time management and develop more efficient study habits.”
With the new bell schedule this year, Josie feels like it added more stress to her day. She said, “I cannot get help in chemistry because of the lack of GL time this year.” Sometimes, she does not understand concepts and needs more of that extra time to get assistance. While the flex blocks have been enacted, she is an officer for Interact Club, so most of the time, she has to go to the classroom for Interact instead. Having GL time every day, opened up more availability to accommodate all of her commitments. While this has been a tough adjustment, the 90-minute class periods sometimes allow for extra time at the end to work. This addition helps counteract the lack of GL time.
Josie is preparing to take the SATs in March. The third quarter is typically the most stressful for high school students due to the lack of a holiday break and harder topics sequential to the school year. Taking the SAT is going to be another test to focus on. She is also taking the AP exam for all the AP classes she is taking. Those exams require intensive preparation to get an adequate score and end up beneficial for college applications.
Josie is extremely diligent and laser-focused on her future and preparing the best she can to reach the success she desires.
Matilda Price is taking AP Chemistry, AP Human Geography, Pre-Calculus, Physics, Law, and Personal Finance. While taking several AP classes, she chose electives catered to her interests and future career pathways. Doing so, she is taking full advantage of her academic opportunities. Her self-awareness on what decisions will get her the most out of her school day signifies she has tunnel vision for success and a fulfilling career.
She claims that this year has been harder than expected. She has had trouble adjusting to AP Chemistry. “It was difficult to learn how to study for the exams and until after the first test, I struggled to find a good strategy,” she recalled. During the school year so far, she has managed her time well and makes sure all of her assignments are turned in on time. She further explained, “I have to make sure my grades are all good and up to my standards.”
For the remainder of the year, her goal is to improve her studying habits for AP Chemistry. She proclaimed, “I would like to start studying earlier for the tests. Since homeroom and GL time are gone, it is stressful to handle clubs and I cannot see any of my teachers for help,” she explained. Matilda also goes into detail regarding the confusion she has in some of the content she is taught, and she has to resort to trying to sign up for that teacher during Flex Block whenever she can.
Sometimes it is difficult for her because she is President of the World Languages Club and Vice President of Student Council. These time-consuming commitments often come first over getting extra help in a class she needs it for.
Matilda also is proactively preparing for her future during this hectic time. “I took the December SAT and I’m doing them again in March. I’m also taking the AP exam for AP Lang, AP Human Geography, AP Chemistry, and AP Seminar.” While juggling these extraneous commitments, she has sought out good grades and enough time to get all of her schoolwork done.
Consequently, this year has been tough and overwhelming for driven juniors trying to take tough classes for their futures. In the end, it will be rewarding and deemed a great accomplishment to flourish in high school.
