Junior year is infamous for being the hardest year in high school (it’s a miracle that we survived), so here is a guide on how to stay sane and, fingers crossed, even succeed during junior year.

Be calm
This is the most important thing. Junior year will challenge you, but you can find ways to keep yourself calm and collected. Whether it’s watching Netflix after homework, listening to your favorite playlist, doing yoga or lighting candles and taking a bath, find methods that work for you.

Don’t overbook yourself
Teachers will pile on the work during the first quarters of school, so don’t pile extracurriculars on yourself. Limit yourself to a few important things — your sports and your passions — so you have “me time” and time to complete all your studies.

Use your frees to get work done
We all love spending our frees chatting in the media center or going out for Chipotle, but there’s no shame in sitting alone to get your work done. The cubicles are there for a reason.

If you feel yourself drowning, get help as soon as possible
Don’t hold in all your stress. Acknowledge that you’re having trouble, and go see your guidance counselor as soon as possible. You don’t have to drop down or completely change your course load, but they can advise you on how to maximize your time and manage your classes.

Don’t spend all your time on Naviance — only graph yourself when your final SAT scores are in
Colleges won’t even see your PSAT scores, and your SAT scores will be different, so wait until your SAT scores are in to look at the graph. Plus, in our two experiences, PSAT scores are usually lower than your final SAT scores.

Befriend your teachers
We know that no one likes a teacher’s pet, but there’s nothing wrong with getting on their good side. Be friendly and outgoing in your classes (remember that participation grade!) and make sure to stop by for extra help if you’re struggling. Also, your junior year teachers are most likely going to be the teachers who will write your letters of recommendation when you’re a senior.

The SAT isn’t that big of the deal
You can always take it again and improve your score! Plus, there are other standardized testing options that you can use to show off to colleges, such as the ACT, SAT subject tests and AP exams, and there are even schools that don’t require test scores.

Keep up on your assigned readings
Teachers probably aren’t still giving you quizzes every day to see if you did the reading. However, having actually read the book is going to help a lot when you have to write a paper on the material.

Make a really great homework playlist
It’s going to keep you focused, especially if you can’t work in dead silence. Bring headphones to school, so you can listen to your playlist to block out noise in the commons or media center.

Don’t take the SAT in January
It’s the same week as your midterms. Just don’t do that to yourself.

Focus and talk about things other than stress
Yes, school work is very important, but it’s not the only thing in your life right now. Talking about stress only makes you more stressed, and it also stresses out the people around you. If you need a good vent, confide it to a few close friends, but also remember to talk about other things to get stress off your mind!

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.