Many students say junior year is one of the most stressful years of high school. Between difficult classes, college preparation and extracurricular activities, students often feel overwhelmed trying to balance everything at once. Students feel off for several reasons, especially knowing that time is running out.
Junior Irene Chen said the pressure of thinking about the future is one of the main reasons students should feel burned out during this time. “I think junior year is the most stressful year because you have to worry about your future,” Chen said. “You’re not quite an adult yet but you’re still expected to have some independence and start thinking about college.”
Juniors often begin preparing for standardized tests like the SAT, while also keeping their grades high. Chen shared, “[junior year] feels like a never-ending race…You can see the finish line but you just keep running and running and can’t get there.”
Burnout can appear during certain points in the school year, especially after big exams or stressful class periods. Chen said she especially felt unmotivated after finishing finals. “After finals, I just didn’t want to do anything,” Chen stated. “Even if we’re working in class, I didn’t feel like doing it, especially if I knew it didn’t affect my grades too much.”
Teachers also notice the effects of the heavy workload on students. English teacher Traci Mellor said junior year comes with plenty challenges: “There’s just a lot of deadlines that occur during junior year,” Mellor commented. “Athletes are being evaluated by college recruiters and students, music and Fine Arts are all competing for scholarships and awards.”
They’re not always going to have that happy everyday behavior. Chen said, “Students who are burned out may feel constantly tired or unmotivated…Sometimes I just want to put my head down in class.” She added, “You feel the pressure, but at the same time you’re so stressed that you don’t want to do anything.”
Even though students can see the end of high school approaching, the pressure of junior year can make the whole entire path feel exhausting. Many students feel like they are constantly working on something, whether it is a test or completing assignments and thinking about their future. So much can be happening at the same time it can feel difficult to slow down or take a break. Because of this constant pressure, many juniors say they feel mentally and physically tired by the end of the year.
