The final months of junior year at North Hollywood High School have been filled with exhausted students, empty energy drink cans, and the long wait for summer vacation. For many juniors, this school year has been the most demanding one so far.
As the school year comes to a close and summer approaches, juniors at NHHS are finally beginning to relax after one of the most stressful years of their life so far. From the SAT, AP exams, the SBA (formerly known as the SBAC), and other extracurriculars, juniors at NHHS feel overwhelmed. Although summer break is only a few weeks away, juniors will soon have to take on the responsibility of applying for colleges next year and readying themselves for adulthood.
Aaron Ramirez, a junior in the SAS, commented on his personal experience of junior year. “The pressure of having to do all this work, especially in one year,” Ramirez explained, “It’s kind of a lot, especially for a teenager our age. I think it’s a little too much.” Many juniors at NHHS feel the same kind of sentiment as Ramirez, often feeling overworked and stressed out with their assignments and AP exams.
For Matthew Shin, a junior in the HGM, the most difficult part was the dreadful AP season. “To me, the most stressful part of the year had to be AP season, mostly due to my own sluggishness and the fact I only started studying the week of APs, but besides that I thought it was pretty manageable.” Among all students, the most common denominator for stress was AP exams, especially for students taking up to five to six in a year. Both Ramirez and Shin took multiple AP exams.
As you might expect, most juniors are looking forward to summer vacation after such a tedious year. Ramirez shared his relief, adding “It feels great. I’m glad that it’s over.
I think one of the better parts is that you kind of feel accomplished, after you finish this stuff, you know?” Shin felt more or less the same way. “I’m definitely relieved for the summer, but I shouldn’t be too relaxed because of the transition from junior year to senior year”, Shin explained. “That transition is when I should be working the hardest”.
In retrospect, however, soon-to-be graduating seniors argue that senior year is the final test of high school. Owen Sullivan, a senior in the SAS, spoke about his grueling journey. “I think senior year is actually a lot more stressful because there’s so much more happening.
You still have to do your schoolwork, but you also have to do college apps, and you also have to do scholarships, and you have to do all this other stuff on the side.”
Additionally, Sullivan spoke about the emotional stress: “I am leaving the area I’ve been in my whole life. A lot of these people I went to elementary school, preschool with. I’m leaving. So it’s all that, together, making it a very different experience than other years.”
Even though the school year is over, and summer break is approaching, many students know that their responsibilities are far from finished. Over summer break, many students prepare for the next school year, often taking courses at local colleges, touring universities, and studying for SAT retakes. As Sullivan mentioned, soon juniors will begin the long-winded process of applying to colleges and preparing for their futures. For rising seniors, the best course of action is to enjoy the time you have before senior year starts.
