Let’s Talk About Junior Year

Junior year has arrived for the class of 2021. For many, even hearing the words “junior year” are enough to make heads spiral and cause fear to take over. Junior Kelly Wu recalled, “I was really stressed all throughout the week prior to the first day and honestly thought that junior year was going to be too overwhelming. Everyone always says that junior year is the worst year for high school students.”

Many students walk into junior year expecting the worst and anticipating the hardest to be thrown at them. With the stress of the SAT and difficult classes, it is understandable why students would be nervous. But for some students, these fear-inducing expectations did not truly capture the reality of junior year. “I was expecting my year to go like hell,” senior George Zhou admitted. Hearing from friends about the overwhelmingness of junior year, Zhou expected the worst.

Things didn’t turn out so badly, though. “I consider myself lucky that I had to pull a full zero all-nighters throughout junior year,” Zhou said. Homework was manageable, especially since he chose classes that he was genuinely interested in. On top of academia, he found the time to participate in a few high-commitment clubs.

Senior Hana Kim echoed a similar experience with fearful expectations and a different reality. “My expectation was that junior year would be ruthlessly hard and that I would always be frazzled and overloaded,” she said. “But I honestly don’t think junior year was as hard as most people make it out to be. It was definitely stressful, I’ll give it that. But by the time you get to junior year, you kind of learn how to pace yourself and how to study.”

With demanding coursework starting from freshman year, students naturally develop better studying habits and organizational skills. “One of the biggest lessons that I took away was how capable I am of handling my workload,” senior Tashfia Hasan said. “Even with all that stress, you have got to figure yourself out. My junior year really allowed me to see what I enjoy doing.”

Like Hasan, senior Bernard Wang was also able to reap the rewards of junior year, even if he did not expect them. Having signed up for four Advanced Placement classes with no free periods, Wang expected his grades to drop. “After going through junior year, I can say that it was definitely the most work I've ever done in an academic year in my life. As a result of all that work, I felt really bummed out a lot during the year.” However, Wang ended the year with his highest grades throughout his six semesters at Stuyvesant. “So overall, quality of life went down, which was expected, but my grades went up, which was a weird surprise,” Wang reflected.

It’s no doubt that junior year will challenge every student, but as daunting as it may seem, it may turn out a lot differently from what one may expect. Senior Wesley Wong advised, “Looking back, junior year was full of ups and downs, and I would be lying if I said there weren't times I felt like giving up, but I think it's important not to let the expectations you have determine the outcome of your year.”