Sophomore slump, Senioritis, freshman freak-outs, and straight, plain, burnout. These are all nicknames for what many high schoolers experience in three out of four years of secondary education. While Seniors agree that senior year is crazy, due to things like college applications and graduations, almost all of them condemn junior year as the worst.
A CDC study found alarming rates of poor mental health and attempted suicide rates among high schoolers.
Overall, 39.7% of students experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, [...] 20.4% seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9.5% attempted suicide. The prevalence among female students was higher than among male students for persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (52.6% versus 27.7%), poor mental health (38.8% versus 18.8%), seriously considered attempting suicide (27.1% versus 14.1%), and attempted suicide (12.6% versus 6.4%). Similarly, the prevalence among LGBQ+ students was higher than among heterosexual students for persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (65.7% versus 31.4%) [...] seriously considered attempting suicide (41.0% versus 13.0%), and attempted suicide (19.7% versus 6.0%).”
While these aren’t Junior year specific, it makes sense that the highest rates of stress and poor mental health would correlate with the most stressful year. High schools seems to be a breeding ground for some of the worst mental health and suicide rates in terms of age, which suggests there are probably some innate issues with the current system that can't be fixed by balancing junior year stress. But there are some that can.
The misconception that many adults seem to have is that poor mental health stems from things like schoolwork or poor sleeping habits. While these factors definitely contribute to a student’s declining mental health, stress and burnout occur from an amalgamation of sources, compounding until it feels inescapable. The good news is that it is escapable, and while you can’t “fix” a stressful year to be easy, you can certainly take it easier on yourself.
Juniors in high school are experiencing something that I equate to Thursdays. It’s not the end, it's not the beginning, and it’s not halfway. It's a muddy, dragging, 75% of the way through. Stresses in Junior year seem to stem mostly from things like AP classes, dual credit classes, the ACT and other tests like PSAT or SAT, ASVAB, high positions in extracurriculars, choosing a major and college, and balancing a job with activities and schoolwork. While these are all present in the other years of high school, they are never so prevalent as Junior year.
Sophomores seem somewhat blissfully unaware of the stresses to come, and seniors have (mostly) chosen a college or major by the last year, wrapped up the difficult or AP classes, and fulfilled most graduation requirements. Juniors are on the last leg of the difficulties of high school. So, what helps juniors to navigate these pressures?
As sophomores, many students see an opportunity in their coming year, with so many open spots (compared to underclassman schedules) to fill with graduation requirements. While this isn’t a bad idea-- it can help eliminate some of the worst classes before graduation-- it isn’t necessarily a good one. Junior year required classes at MHS include chemistry, an English class (AP or 11th), and US History. Only three doesn’t seem too bad, so many sophomores pile up the difficult electives (trigonometry, calculus, microbiology, senior or regular anatomy, sociology, psychology, college algebra, etc.) in order to get them out of the way. The most important thing about scheduling for Junior year is not to take all the most difficult classes. Having a day of back-to-back difficult classes, only to go to sports or activities right after school, is a road straight to burnout. Include at least one or two “comfortable” classes, like an art class, a simpler science, a music or tech elective, or any topic you don’t feel overwhelmed with. This will give you something to look forward to on any given day, and help relieve some stress from the otherwise difficult classes.
If your classes are handled, the next most stressful thing is extracurriculars and activities. While these are fun initially, as a Junior you’ll now be in a position to be in charge or part of a leadership team in many of these. You might get more exposure in your chosen sport, be asked to lead practice, or attempt to hold a position in student council, NHS, or Key Club. Upperclassman "opportunities" can be stressful when they feel more like a competition or a requirement. The best advice is simply to focus on what's important to you. If you don’t need a sparkling application for the college you’re applying to, you may not need or want the added stress of things like NHS or an internship. If you know you’re not going to continue a sport past high school, you may want to consider dropping it in favour of something more worth your time. Obviously, there are other factors to consider when deciding what to join and advance in, and what to drop. If you enjoy the activity, feel it's worthwhile, and look forward to it, it’s probably not necessary to drop. The important thing to remember is that you can’t do everything.
One of the most important parts of keeping yourself sane Junior year comes from anything that's not Junior year-related. Hobbies will save your life. Find your passion in anything that doesn’t come with a grade or price tag, and make time to enjoy it. Having a hobby can be calming, but it also helps focus your attention on something that isn’t career or college-related. It helps to remind you that you are not defined by the major you choose, your GPA, or the career you go into.
Information Source: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a9.htm
Image Source: https://www.studyusa.com/en/blog/1540/from-student-blogger-aanchal-dealing-with-overwhelming-homework