Junior year is said to be the most important and most stressful year of high school. Many students are trying to balance tons of responsibilities such as school, sports, work, clubs, etc. Making time and prioritizing your family and relationships can also be extremely difficult.
Not only are these things important, but many students who plan on going to college have to start applying for colleges. With all of these obligations, it can get very stressful for many students.
Junior year is the hardest year to deal with responsibilities, academics, and mental health. To sum it up, junior students’ stress is off the charts, and their mental health should be prioritized the most.
Balancing time and priorities
Finding balance through time and priorities can be hard for many junior students. With responsibilities like school, sports, work, clubs, etc students can easily become overloaded.
“Balancing sports is very hard, because I don’t have much free time after my long volleyball practices and it can get very stressful,” Alanna Orton (11) said.
“My boss puts me under a ton of pressure and it can get very stressful at times; it leaves me with no free time,” Marquise Buckley (11) said.
Certain responsibilities can be very time consuming and stressful, which can leave little time for other responsibilities. Students can experience stress and anxiety during these times. It is important that students prioritize their mental health and cut out distractions to keep a balanced life.
Managing relationships between friends, family, and dating can also be very hard. With all of the students’ responsibilities, it can be hard to make time and prioritize relationships too. Having and prioritizing a social life can boost students’ mental health, and give them a fun break from all of the things going on in their lives.
Universally, balancing time and priorities is crucial to making the most out of junior year. Unfortunately, time management can be very tight with many students’ schedules, leading to high levels of stress. Students trying to manage their time should be prioritized the most during this year, so students can feel and perform at their best.
Stress over colleges
Junior year is the most important and the last year colleges will see on students’ high school records. With tests like the SAT and ACT, students are under tons of academic stress to perform well, which can lead them to overwork themselves with studying and work.
Students are expected to engage in extracurricular activities all while beginning the college application process. The pressure to perform well academically and make a good college essay can be extremely overwhelming for 16-17 year-old junior students.
Students’ uncertainty about the future can lead to high stress levels among all junior students. While it is important for students to make the most out of their junior year for college, it is even more important for students to look after their mental health.
Students’ mental health especially needs to be prioritized during this time, and seeking support from the relationships in their lives can help reduce this stress. Support can help students to relax and make them feel like they are not alone, therefore improving their mental health.
Students need to prioritize their mental health to reduce all of the stress in their lives. Junior year is undeniably an extremely challenging time for all students with responsibilities and priorities in their lives. With things like school, work, sports, college, relationships, etc students can become easily stressed out. By doing things like having a social life, adopting an effective time management schedule, and seeking support from relationships students can reduce their stress and improve their mental health. Students need to take care of themselves mentally which is key to overcoming the challenges of junior year and to build themselves up for success in the future.
