Counting my four years as a student (1978-1982), I’ve been living on and around high school campuses and among 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders for nearly half a century (had to check the math several times before I could believe it). From various perspectives as a classroom teacher, coach, activities coordinator, tutor, and college admissions consultant, I’ve come to know and love the unique flavor, energy, and role each grade plays in the drama we call high school. And the way I see it, juniors play the role of the unsung hero.
Academically, juniors typically find themselves taking the most challenging full-year courses offered in their school (talk to ANY second-semester senior about which of their last two whole years was harder ;-)), often with the most demanding teachers. Likewise, in sports, activities, and community service, juniors are workhorses; often with two years’ experience to contribute and on which to build, they sometimes assume leadership roles or position themselves to assume them senior year. That takes commitment and sweat equity.
In 2025, juniors eyeing selective colleges are especially BUSY. You can usually tell when you meet one because they often complain of having too much to do and being sleep deprived, but then off they go to their next thing. I’ve long felt junior year is a great rite of passage for late teens—mostly by fire—en route to college and adulthood.
Because the universe sometimes has a twisted sense of humor, junior year is also the year most students do most of their studying for and take standardized tests for college, namely SATs, ACTs, and APs. While many seniors take as many AP courses as juniors, the exams at the end of the year (where a score of 3, 4, or 5 unequivocally certifies college-level understanding of a subject and can significantly bolster an applicant’s candidacy) happen too late to count toward admissions for them; that means AP exams for juniors are the last chance for students to include AP scores in their applications. Likewise, most students do most or all of their SAT/ACT prep and testing during junior year. Many juniors gear up for several of each during the year, which is tantamount to a whole other course, where the final grade, or rather score, carries far more weight than any one final grade (or several grades) on a transcript. Even the “one-and-done”rs still have to carve out time and handle additional pressure in an already pressurized year, With the profusion of test dates over the last decade (there are now many more choices than in the olden days when we had to walk to and from school uphill both ways in the snow—14 test dates per year, not including the specially arranged in-school exams), some students are getting a head start in 10th grade while others are putting testing off until after the year ends, just to take something off the junior-year plate.
Having many choices can be a really good thing for hyper-scheduled high schoolers, but sadly, I see it function every year for some well-intentioned students as just enough rope for juniors to hang themselves. Many initially plan to carve out time to study for one of the six fall exams, but after the crush of the first few weeks of junior year, they decide February (ACT) or March (SAT) will be less hectic. But knowing there are two more SATs and ACTs each from April to June and four more of each from July to November (all of which can count for even early applications), they decide to focus on schoolwork and punt test prep until after the grueling year ends (May/June exams, while theoretically possible, have very little appeal to juniors busy with final school projects, getting ready for final exams, and, for many, taking APs.
This strategy sometime results in both excellent grades and excellent scores, but it often does not. With the added pressure of application deadlines suddenly looming on the horizon and having to compete with summer plans or with the million and one things fall seniors have to do, many wished they had gotten their SAT/ACT in the rear view during, rather than after, junior year.
As busy as juniors are—or think they are—in February, March, and April, trust me, the last six to eight weeks of the term are always worse. Juniors may even find themselves longing for the care-free early days of the second semester. With that in mind, here’s some great advice for busy juniors, even if it makes you a little busier for a month or two:
Carve out a few solid hours a week for four to six weeks before the March SAT or April ACT (or, if you don’t have to study for APs, the May SAT) to study and take practice tests.
And if you go to public school in Connecticut or another state that has a contract with the CollegeBoard and have the opportunity to take two SATs in March, that is a clear sign from the universe that your time is now! (This post explains specifically why.)
There is still time to join one of Dr. Yo’s 6-Session classes in progress, register for one of the 3-Session Crash Courses starting soon, or schedule some one-on-one tutoring. Emboldened by almost 50 years of living and re-living junior year, I’m almost certain you’ll be glad you did!