There is certainly an argument to be made for junior year and its place as the hardest year of high school, and after experiencing it firsthand, I would agree.

First of all, maybe the biggest argument for the difficulty of Junior year is the introduction of AP classes.

This year I signed up for 4 AP classes: AP United States History (APUSH), AP Chemistry, AP Pre-Calculus, and AP Lang. Of these four, I ended up dropping three. The only AP I ended up staying in was AP Lang, and I’ve never regretted it.

Since grade school, I’ve always been very grade-oriented, and while I still want to keep good grades, I’ve realized I should focus on a balanced life, rather than being completely absorbed in schoolwork 24/7.

That being said, junior year was still my hardest year of high school so far.

The workload is by far the largest, especially in AP classes,  where students encounter much more challenging material than ever before.

Balancing sports with this new load of schoolwork is a challenge. Many days during the fall I would go to school for 7 hours, have a tennis match after school and I wouldn’t get home till sometimes 9:00-10:00 p.m., and have to stay up even later to do my homework.

My advice to overcome the complicated junior year balance is to know one’s limits.

For students who plan on taking advanced-level classes such as AP courses, think to yourself what of those classes are most important to you. Keep in mind that you will need to maintain a balanced life outside of school as well, and be mindful of what you know you can achieve.

It can be easy to feel pressure to take AP classes even when they might not be the best fit; my best advice for AP’s is to think of them in the sense of what will be required for college, and if achieving the exam score necessary for college credit is achievable for you.

Don’t be scared of junior year. It can be difficult at times, but it is also an unforgettable and integral year of high school that all should look forward to, not fear.