Kali Kosek

Junior Lilly Schilling trying to manage her time with school work; meanwhile, starting the college search for next year.

Semester two of junior year brings students many different stresses, challenges, and responsibilities. This year is filled with college preparation and focusing on keeping up with academics. Along with that, junior-year students tend to start searching for their dream colleges and begin the application process.

Second-semester juniors get their portfolio, giving them a few assignments while still doing school assignments. They have to get their letters of recommendation, start their common app application, and attend the college fair. This can cause students’ stress levels to rise as there are many deadlines and requirements that students have to meet. Trying to manage all these assignments on top of school can be time-consuming, but students find a way to do it all. “I try to not let the stress affect me because it’s a very time-consuming process, but it’s going very well,” junior Elle Montague said.

Another challenge for students is managing time with ACT and SAT. The preparation process for these tests can be very time-consuming. Trying to find time outside of school and homework to focus on studying for this can be challenging. Many juniors feel pressure to get a good score on these tests, as it can help students get into their dream colleges. Overall, it can be a lot to juggle with everything that must be done. “I have started my ACT prep, and it’s stressful,” Montague said.

With a big to-do list and little time, juniors are feeling the time crunch. Managing time with school work, extracurriculars, ACT and SAT studying, and completing portfolio assignments can be highly challenging and stressful. Students learned it’s better to not procrastinate on these tasks and that it’s essential to stay on top of everything. “I just have a lot of homework every night, which is hard because I procrastinate. So I’m not good at managing my time, but I am working on it,” junior Mazlow Moquist said.

Overall, juniors are very busy in the second semester, trying to maintain their grades, study for the ACT and SAT, complete portfolio assignments, participate in extracurricular activities, and start the college search. This can cause lots of pressure and stress for the students, who are trying to find time for everything.