As a high school student, a common phrase that we have been hearing our whole lives is that “junior year is the hardest year of high school.” Especially with the competitive culture at Centennial, the academic pressure put on juniors is astronomical, making us feel like we need to do more work than needed. All of the stress put on juniors throughout the year is inevitable, and no matter how prepared we felt at the beginning of the year, it seemed that something would always eventually kick us in the back of our legs and back us down.
I think we can all agree that the amount of academic work we had to complete this year was the most rigorous compared to our sophomore and freshman years. Not only did we have the stress from several AP classes, but we also had the pressure in the back of our minds that in a year, we were going to be applying to colleges. I have always had that thought in the back of my mind of whether I was doing enough for my resume or application, and that this year was the last time we could do anything to improve it. As a sophomore or freshman, it is common for students to think “Oh I always have next year to do something”, but as a junior, that thought isn’t applicable anymore. With that, the pressure of trying to get every leadership position available, or look for internships whilst also keeping up your GPA is the direct recipe for a year of burnout.
However, to the class of 2025, the end of the school year is approaching, and now you have the power to say that you survived your junior year of high school, even if you barely made it to the end, but how can we reflect on this experience and truly understand what a year we just went through?
Centennial junior Hibah Mehreen shares her thoughts. “I can definitely say that junior year has been my hardest year, and it hasn’t been easy compared to my sophomore and freshman years, the coursework was tough”. She also stated, “Coming into junior year, I knew that it was going to be a lot and I had to push through a lot”
Centennial junior Jiwon Kim mentioned that “her sleep schedule has never been worse”, and that “she remembers all those stressful nights studying for tests”. It is important to note the mental stress brought on juniors this year can also be amplified physically, especially with eating and sleep habits. Having that much stress on your mind constantly for 10 months can create changes in your regular schedule.
After reflecting on my peer’s experiences with my own, I concluded that It wasn’t just the workload; it was the weight of expectations, the fear of falling short, that made every day a test of endurance for me. Sleep had become a luxury for the majority of us and stress was a constant companion.
Looking at the bright side, however, it is important to acknowledge all of the hard work that we went through this year, and be proud of the accomplishments and improvements we’ve made. It felt like the longest, yet fastest 10 months of our lives, and as we remember all of those nights when we were up studying for a test, we can look back at it and be glad we were able to get through all these hardships. It is crazy to think that three-fourths of our high school experience is done, and now we can finally call ourselves the seniors of Centennial High School.
bu/tk
For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.
