Ah, junior year. So close to being a senior and yet so far away. A lot of people would assume that your last year of college should be the most stressful, but just like it was in high school, junior year takes the cake. Here are 10 reasons why your junior year of college causes the most stress:
1. You're only halfway through college.
You've knocked out four semesters by the beginning of your junior year, but you still have four to go. You feel like you've already done so much work but in reality, you're so far away from graduating.
2. Internships.
Real life experience? For no pay? Yep, internships are inevitable, and if you managed to graduate from college without a requirement to complete an internship, I envy you. It's tough trying to balance schoolwork with a job and an internship at the same time. Maybe you'll find time to eat in your 15 minute break. Oh wait, that's the time it takes to drive from class to your internship.
3. Job searching.
Believe it or not, the time to start scoping out a job is now. Window shopping for jobs on LinkedIn can be fun, but then you realize how much it's going to cost to move and live in a new city. And you might even be 9 hours away from your mom.
4. Do or die majors.
By your junior year, you're already waist-deep into your chosen major. If you want to jump ship, it's going to take a lot of extra courses to get back on track to graduating on time. And if you want to pick up a minor, that's another 12+ hours to add to your already intense schedule for the next four semesters.
5. 300+ level courses.
Speaking of being waist-deep in a major, by your junior year, you're really going to be getting into the heart of your major's courses. This means no more fluff classes (GPA boosters). You've really got to know your stuff this year, and if you fail, you only have 3 more semesters in which to make it up.
6. Social strains.
With all that course work and your job and internship, it's a wonder you ever get to see your friends. By this year, your friend group has probably been whittled down to your most trustworthy friends (your ride or dies), and that's perfectly normal. However, when everyone else has as much stuff to do as you do, it's hard to find time to spend with one friend, let alone three at the same time.
7. Budgeting.
You'd think you'd have your money in order by now. Nope, you're in college. Plus, most students turn 21 in their junior year, so there's a good chance some of your money will be going towards alcohol. Sorry, mom.
8. Seeing other juniors that have their lives together.
They've got everything planned out and ready to go, and you're asking yourself, "How do you do it? What sort of deal did you make with the devil? Did he bet a fiddle of gold against your soul?"
9. Real life stuff is happening all around you.
It seems like every other day you log onto Facebook, you see people you know from high school getting engaged and having babies. Meanwhile, you can't even manage to feed your fish on a consistent basis. What a life.
10. You're an upperclassman.
Now you've crossed the threshold into the ranks of upperclassmen, but you don't feel like you're old enough. Freshmen and sophomores are coming to you for advice and you're terrified you're the one to blame if your advice goes badly. Being a junior is the constant feeling of being an adult, but not an adult-adult. Basically, you can order a pizza but you still need help making appointments and filing taxes.
