It is that time of the year again when students begin looking ahead to their future. As it is commonly known, junior year of high school has the reputation of being the most difficult out of the four years. Although I have not yet experienced senior year, I can certainly say that junior year has been the hardest for me so far. Coming out of a COVID school year straight into junior year was, for sure, a wake-up call. However, this school year has also provided me with useful knowledge that I now feel I should pass on to upcoming juniors to make next year less stressful right off the bat.

Junior year is definitely the time in which students push themselves extremely far and challenge themselves academically. I do believe that taking 1 or 2 difficult classes is a great idea. While I do believe in the importance of pushing yourself, the best advice I can give in terms of higher-level classes is to prioritize your mental health over your grades. Starting junior year, I came in with the mindset of getting not only A’s as final grades in my classes but even all A’s on every individual assignment. I was very shocked after receiving a B on my first AP Physics test, but it was certainly not the last B, C, or even D that I received in a class.

At first, I would beat myself up over breaking my consistent streak of A’s, but over time, I realized that I cannot be so hard on myself. Instead, I had to shift my mindset to understand that a bad grade is just motivation to do better. At this point in the year, I have learned to congratulate myself on how far I’ve come and to give myself various mental breaks when I need them. Of course, it is important to work hard for the grades you want, but also know that you should pat yourself on the back for taking on challenging classes.