They were right
Alyssa Pendon (she/her)
Editorial Team Member
Junior year is no joke.
Am I being dramatic? Perhaps. But it’s honestly true.
Before I started junior year, I kept getting videos on my For You page (and lingering tid bits from friends) that junior year was hard. I reposted some of these videos, pretending to forget about my impending doom. But I was really scared and also nervous for what was to come. I knew that it was hard because of the thousands of things you need to prepare for during the year. And I was worried that all of these things were going to be too much for me to handle. After doing my diligent research, (which was just tips for junior year videos on TikTok) I had come to the conclusion that it could either be the best or the worst year of my life. I was still very nervous though. Would I be drowning in homework, stress, and pain for nine months straight?
From the month or so I’ve been in school, it’s true but also at the same time different from what I expected. I won’t say it’s been the “best” but at the same time it’s not terrible. It’s actually really nice. I felt during my sophomore year I was being suffocated by my own two hands, but now I’m like a leaf flying on a windy day with light rain. I think my sophomore year was lowkey kind of bad, and I felt the academic pain during the year. But now with more experience on my belt, I feel better than I did before. I’ve had a lot more down time than I thought I would, and every weekend almost feels magical. This also might be a psychological thing, but my high school feels more high school in a sense. It almost feels like we’re really getting back into being a true high school after Covid. I’ve seen more people interacting with each other, going to events, and more community at my school. For example, during Homecoming season, we had people actually campaign for Homecoming court around the school and on Instagram. Even though it doesn't matter, I still appreciate a good ad campaign. But overall I almost feel a lightness in the air, and even though people are still stressed, I think I feel more calm at school then I did last year.
But at the same time junior year is really hard. Even though I typically feel lighter than I did last year, I’m also feeling more tired and drained when I get home after school, thanks to my heavy load at school. Last year during course selections, I thought I was Young Sheldon and picked out six advanced placement (AP) classes and early bird gym. As well as leadership positions in five of my clubs, and still being involved in ten others (including sports). I’m also on varsity this year for cross country (and hopefully track), and involved with other nonprofits outside of school and volunteering. I also recently acquired a “job” where I get paid to make content for a nonprofit.
Don’t ask what got into my brain last year. Although it hasn’t actually been that hard to balance everything (yet), I’m worried that it will just get too hard and I won’t be able to handle it. Although I’ve been doing decently well right now. It’s still hard and I’m nervous for winter finals (and don’t remind me about spring just yet). Even though it’s a rigorous schedule, I’m still doing well in all aspects of my life currently. So it might be hard, but who said that I can’t handle hard?
