Dear juniors,

First of all, let me congratulate you on surviving three quarters of what many believe to be your hardest year of high school. You have way too many things going on and there is so much pressure in your daily lives to get good grades and perform well in sports or extracurricular activities. But I completely get it, you’re still a kid who wants to have fun on the weekends and get more than six hours of sleep every night.

Junior year is full of anticipated firsts. By that I mean, I can totally relate to the fact that taking the ACT or SAT for the first time can be stressful and nerve-racking, because I simply didn’t know what to expect. But hey, that sure changed for me! I ended up taking seven standardized tests to eventually receive the score I wanted. First piece of advice I give to you: don’t get frustrated when it comes to the ACT or SAT. They can make you go crazy and lead you to believe you’re not as smart as actually are. Don’t let that happen to you — stay positive and even if it takes seven tests to reach your goal, keep going because it will be well worth it in the end.

Junior year, I definitely did not want to even think about colleges throughout junior year because it seemed like I had all the time in the world to decide, but in reality it was much closer than I thought. I was already meeting with a college counselor and beginning to form a list of the schools I wanted to apply to. I thought it was way too early to begin this whole process, but in fact I’ve learned that it is never too early to start thinking about college and the steps it takes to apply.

For me it’s hard, because I have no idea where I want to go to college. So when those dreaded family dinners approached and each individual cousin would ask me what my number one school was, I would answer with “Uh, I have no idea.” And that is what simply led me to apply to 19 schools. Yes, you heard me right, 19. Second piece of advice: do not apply to 19 schools. Months of applications and a few acceptances later, I still have no idea where I want to go. But I guess it’s ok, because I know I will end up where I am meant to be and you will too.

I recommend you do is to start all of your college prep over the summer going into your senior year. Make a list of around 10 schools that seem interesting to you and complete your research now because trust me when I say this: senior year is not easy. It is just as hard as any other year, and you have the lovely addition of college applications that will only add to your work load.  But, if you get your busy work done sooner, senior year will be enjoyable and you can focus on keeping your grades up instead of 19 apps like I did.

OMG, how could I forget about your social life? WELL YEAH, that’s important too. Being social and involved in an abundance of activities is honestly what is going to get me into my top schools. Because I participate in sports, ASB, NCL and more, I know that there are things going for me. I may not be the smartest in my class, but I am balanced when it comes to my everyday life. So, I encourage you to stay involved with your activities and if you’re not involved, it’s not too late to start.

In my opinion, junior year was extremely hard and my stress level was definitely at an all-time high. But what got me through were the times when I would just let myself have fun. Spend the weekend with your friends and promise not to bring up college because, in reality, no one wants to talk about it. Also remember that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses and don’t compare yourself to others (as hard as it may be). God has a plan and everyone will end up where they are meant to be! Don’t be too stressed, but instead make memories that will last forever because it goes by so quickly!

Love,

Carlie