Emily Ota | Head Editor
May 23, 2026
Junior year is infamously known as being the toughest year during a student’s high school experience, and coming from a current junior–it is. I remember hearing junior year horror stories from my older brother and his friends, and I was terrified going into this school year. However, I am finishing out the semester with all A’s in rigorous classes as a student-athlete while simultaneously working part-time. It sounds like a lot, but what if I told you I don’t spend a single late night studying, and I am still able to set aside time for myself to have fun? My success this year has inspired me to create a guide for all incoming juniors–so here are my most important tips to surviving junior year!
Plan Ahead
It is vital that you get to know your schedule in-and-out of school and learn to use it to your advantage. It will take a few weeks to get into the groove of your new classes and activities after school, but once you do, start to plan your schoolwork and other must-do things ahead of time.
Stay Organized
To plan out these things you must get done, it’s helpful to have a reliable system. I like to keep a “to do” list in my notes app where I add all my schoolwork and due dates plus things I need to get done at home. This way, I always know what I have to do and can prioritize things by their due date. Seeing it in front of me is extremely helpful and the action of deleting each bullet when I’m done is a great indicator of progress that pushes me to keep going. If a to-do list isn’t for you, there are many different ways to keep track of your work. You could write due dates onto a calendar, download a specific app, or organize tasks into a spreadsheet. Allie Borgerding, a senior who will attend UCLA in the fall, recommended “utilizing your school planner and calendar to stay on top of your work.” In addition to physical organizers, if you are ever lost on an assignment or confused about a due date, talk to your teacher! They are the best resource for answering your questions and are rooting for you to succeed.
Manage your Time
Junior Emily Jahed asserted that junior year is not just hard academically, but also “due to balancing extracurriculars.” Managing your time will make your life immensely easier. As I said before, I have a lot on my plate, and I made it work due to my time management. Planning ahead and staying organized both fall under this category, so make sure you master those skills as well. For example, I got to know my work and soccer practice schedule, so I knew I wouldn’t be home until 9:10 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This being said, I made sure to do my work due Wednesday and Friday two days prior: on Monday and Wednesday. This way I wouldn’t have to come home from a long day and force myself to stay awake just to turn in mediocre work the next day.
Don’t Procrastinate
Managing your time ties in well with avoiding procrastination. Have the mindset that says “do your work now and you will have more time later.” Whether that be time to sleep, time to hang out with friends, or time to just chill–trust me, that time is worth it. I would look ahead at my APUSH notes schedule and get all the notes done for the week over the weekend, usually in the morning, so I could get them out of the way. Utilizing the weekend and TIDE Time, or prep periods, can result in a way lighter load for your week if you get yourself to sit down and grind it out. Especially if you know your upcoming week will be stressful, finish the things you can as fast as you can. If you have a hard time sitting down to do the work, try putting your phone in another room or creating a rewards system for yourself.
That being said, junior year is not all studying and hard classes. The relationships you will build and the experiences you will have your junior year are unforgettable. Borgerding confirmed that part of her acceptance into UCLA was due to putting “best efforts forward and learning to make personal connections with teachers” her junior year. To make junior year manageable, make sure you are staying up to date, surrounding yourself with academic friends, and using all of your resources to accomplish your goals!
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