Congrats, you're almost done! With your junior year, that is. You may or may not already know this, but your junior year of high school is one of the most important years of your high school career. Sure, senior year is super important when it comes to applying to colleges and getting accepted, but your junior year is preparing you for that moment.
Get Involved
As the seniors at your school begin to get their acceptance letters and find jobs, all eyes will be on them and it can be fun to see your friends planning their future, but remember, that's going to be you in 12 short months. Taking AP and IB classes your junior year looks good on your transcript, as does being involved on your campus. Now I don't mean attending all of the football games and pep rallies, I mean joining a few clubs or sports teams. Not only will you find something fun to do in your spare time and find new friends with similar interests, but colleges like to see that you really were involved, and didn't wait until your senior year to cram everything in. Waiting until your last year to join clubs and teams only adds pressure on you and it's not as fun (trust me, I know).
Do Your Work
Seriously, if you're going to slack off one year, that's what freshman year is for. Learn how to study properly, and don't put off doing your homework until the night before. This is coming from someone who would wait until the night before to annotate an entire book. You cannot do this in college, I promise. How do you expect to get into your dream school with C's because you chose to hang out with your friends rather than do your homework? It's hard passing up a social gathering to study, but trust me, it'll be completely worth it when you get that acceptance letter in the mail.
Enjoy High School While It Lasts
Everyone always told me high school would be the best four years of my life. Thankfully, they weren't, no where close. College is incredible, but there are days where I miss the easy homework and projects (yes, your work is easy), being able to go home and be with my family, and live carelessly. Do your work, but don't forget to enjoy the simple things like getting breakfast with your friends before school, spirit week, and even your mom bugging you to do your homework. You'll miss every bit of it.
Whether you want to believe it or not, you're almost an adult. You may not even have your license yet, but before you know it, you'll be packing up your childhood bedroom and hugging your family goodbye as they drop you off at college. Being an adult isn't as fun and glamorous as it's made out to be. Enjoy the little things, work hard, and live while you're young.
