Tips for Junior Year of High School

Junior year is where you can really make your mark. It’s the time to shape your pre-college journey. Here’s a checklist to help take your year by storm.

Take Your Academics Into Account

Junior year is the time to focus on raising your grades to their highest level. Take courses that will challenge you, but make sure you maintain a balance. Your overall GPA is important, too! Ask for help when you need it. Advocate for yourself now and show a strong final stretch going into senior year.

Create a Highlight Reel

Join clubs, activities, and extracurriculars in and out of school. Get involved in your passions. Seek out leadership roles and put your best foot forward. Civic engagement in your community is a great learning opportunity and way to make your application stand out.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Junior year is the prime time to study for and begin taking the SAT and ACT. Be proactive and grab any materials you will need to study and seek out support. This way, if you would like to try again, you’ll have a couple more seasons to get those scores in a place you are confident with. Take some time to check out which colleges look at scores — some, like Drexel University, have Test-Optional policies.

Engage With Your Teachers

At some point, you are going to need to be vouched for. Most colleges will ask for letters of recommendation. Find someone you would like to write you a letter of recommendation and who would be able to speak on your attributes and successes. Engage in class, add to the conversation, and use your personality to make a positive impact.

Road Trip

Visit schools you are interested in! What is important to you? What kinds of opportunities are available? Location, majors, class size, return on investment, career counseling, and campus life are just a few of the many factors to consider when finding the school that best fits you. Find some schools that check these boxes and do your research to weigh your options. 

Craft a Vision Board

What brings you joy? Could it be where you see yourself in 5–10 years, your interests and passions, or the change you’d like to see in your community/the world? Use your strengths, instincts, and dreams to make writing those essays and landing at your new home less overwhelming and more organic. It can help to ask close friends, teachers, and family to remind you how awesome you are.

Above all, it's important to work hard, try your best, and enjoy your junior year of high school!