Junior year is the first year that Mason students start taking IB classes and fulfilling requirements for the IB Diploma. Despite the fact that IB is stressful, communicating with teachers and the IB Coordinator will take an edge off of the stress of Junior year. (Photo courtesy of Eric Clinton)

Dear Juniors,

Wow. This is it. Your “big year”. This is where it really counts. Actually, freshman and sophomore year counted too, but that’s another story. While freshman year feels like eons ago and junior year feels like you’re in the homestretch, you’re actually only 50% done with high school right now. Just FYI.

Junior year is a special time in your high school career: you take the SAT/ACT, start looking at colleges, and it’s the first year you get to take IB classes (yay!). Oh, by the way, if you thought AP was hard, just get ready for IB. AP is the oasis in the middle of the IB desert.

If you’re not good at time management, IB will chew you up and spit you out, leaving you wanting to curl up in a fetal position and never go to school again.

Ok, maybe IB isn’t that bad. But seriously, get rid of that folder that holds every paper for every class and buy some binders. And promise me you won’t start your IB Americas research paper the night before it’s due and turn it in on Schoology seconds before the deadline. The current record held for the latest submission last year was 4AM. Don’t let that be you.

My biggest tips: do your homework, talk to your teachers, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t procrastinate. It sounds silly, but even if homework isn’t graded make sure you do it on time.

At this point in high school, your teachers aren’t going to baby you and make sure you did your homework. It’s all on you. I promise you will do a million times better on tests if you do your homework.

Even if you think your IB teachers totally hate you judging from the grade you got on that last test, talk to them about it. Teachers are humans too, and they will understand if you’re having trouble in the class. Schedule meetings with your teachers and have them walk you through a project or read over your essay for you. If you make an effort to get help in the class, your teachers will make an effort to help you do your best. They’re not out to get you: they’re there to teach you. Ask them questions! Raising your hand to ask a question in class doesn’t mean you’re stupid. Your teachers will be pleased that you’re engaging in class and they’ll be happy to share their knowledge with you.

Whatever you do, DON’T procrastinate. It’s a generic tip, but seriously: if you have a bit more free time, get work done in advance. Junior year will be way less stressful if you stay on top of your work. You already have college and standardized tests to think about, so don’t let unfinished homework pile up or you will regret it (not speaking from personal experience or anything like that).

Buy a planner (if you haven’t already) and schedule your time for homework, studying, etc. I know what it feels like to get home from sports practice at dinner time and still have a mountain of homework plus three tests the next day. Schedule your time and you’ll be able to manage everything. This is where talking to teachers helps: if you suddenly feel like you’re drowning in work and there’s no way you can finish it all, ask your teachers for an extension. Chances are, they’ll understand and you can work something out. They’ll appreciate that you communicated with them and you’ll have a bit more time to put in your best work.

One last thing: college. This is where a lot of juniors fall apart. I promise, you will get into college. There is a place for everyone and there isn’t just one “right way” to do college. College is so personal for everyone, and I promise you’ll find what is right for you, whatever that is.

I know this sounds like a lot, but it’s ok, don’t stress. Even though junior year feels like an enormous wall standing between you and the rest of your life, you’ll get through it. It’s a lot of work, but it goes by quickly and the last day of school feels so, so good. And then there’s senior year…

Good luck everyone!!

Erin