Junior year of high school is one of the most important years for students. This is a time where students will be deciding what their path after school will be. I’m going to be discussing some points about the junior year of high school and what students can expect.
What’s So Important About It?
Junior year is when students will be deciding if they’ll be going to college after high school. Many high schools will require students to do mandatory college counseling at this time to explore their options. Students will begin crafting a list of colleges or universities they wish to attend as well. In an online school such as Tenney School Live, we require our students to enroll in a college prep class. This class prepares students for college as well as teaching independence-based skills. These skills are essential for student success in college as they’ll be required to be self-driven while at school.
Another important thing student’s will be doing during their junior year is taking the SAT and/or ACT. While colleges now are going test optional, we highly recommend every student to take at least one of the tests. The reasoning for this is that if a student scores well, it can put them at an advantage over other applicants who chose not to submit their scores. This is another important part of our college prep class, as our college counselor spends a lot of time during the fall semester of junior year, getting students prepped for testing.
The final important note about junior year is the emphasis on making good grades. While colleges will look at your entire high school academic transcript, junior year is generally their benchmark focal point. Often times the first filter in getting through the college admissions process is maintaining a good GPA. This GPA is even more important to maintain during your junior year as it’s when students are the busiest. It’s also important to take upper-level courses if you’re able. AP, dual credit, and IB courses are all great options to take if you can handle the workload. This will help you stand out on college apps as well as give you a GPA buffer. (if you do well)
Clubs and Extracurriculars
If your goal is to go to college, you’re going to want to start diversifying your academic portfolio. Mainly in the form of taking after school clubs or extracurriculars. Many colleges want well-rounded students that are involved with the student culture at their school. We recommend joining after school clubs, sports or extracurriculars to show this well-rounded growth. Because junior year can get so busy for students, many students don’t participate in student culture which leaves them at a disadvantage during the application process.
While it’s important to participate, you don’t want your grades to suffer as a result. Only do as much as you feel comfortable with as your GPA is the ultimate priority for a student during junior year.
Graduating Early
The final thing I want to discuss about junior year is the ability to graduate early. This is where online private schooling has an edge up over other types of schools. At Tenney School Live, we’re able to accommodate and build out a plan for a student wishing to graduate early. Because of our one-to-one model, our teachers are able to adjust the curriculum on the fly for students so that they may finish classes earlier than they would if they were in a typical classroom setting.
We even have a summer school program where students can take extra classes to get ahead the summer before their junior year. If this is something you’re interested in, we recommend filling out our inquiry form for more information.
