Class of '28. This is everything you should do as a rising junior. First, standardized testing. Last year as a rising junior I made a mistake of not taking my SAT setting seriously and I really regret it. Junior year is one of the most important times of your high school career and also your busiest, so getting started early on is really helpful. I would suggest you to take a diagnostic or a full length practice test to see where your baseline score is. Identify the sections and question types that challenge you most, create a realistic weekly study schedule, practice with the SAT College Board question bank and set a target score that you would want to reach on your first test or in the long run. Second, start studying on your classes. Getting a head start on your junior year classes can help the transition into a more rigorous overall schedule be smoother and also less stressful. You should review key concepts from your class you took this year, preview topics from your upcoming courses, complete summer assignments, organise notes, folders and study materials, and most importantly, strengthen your foundation skills. Do not just not do any sort of math, science or writing in the summer. I would recommend you to do some reading or some basic problems. Three, start a passion project. Passion project is a great way to explore your interests, develop new skills and create something meaningful that reflects you outside of the classroom. Choose a topic that genuinely excites you or something that irritates you and wants to make a change about. Set a long term goal for the project, dedicate a lot of time and work consistently. Track your progress and document what you learn. Show your work through a website, a social media account, presentation or portfolio. Last year was the summer when I started my nonprofit and I did a lot of social media and outreaching and it grew super big today. So this is just proof that working hard and being consistent will pay off. Four, strengthen your extracurriculars. Instead of trying to join as many clubs or extracurriculars as possible, focusing on deepening the ones you already have. So that would mean pursuing a leadership, taking on responsibilities for ways that you can make more measurable impact, so metrics are really important. Participate in competitions, events and conferences. Focus on consistency and commitment over quantity. Five, explore colleges and career interests. Junior year is the perfect time to start thinking about your future goals and exploring the academic and career path that you want to do. Research colleges that may match your interest and goals. Explore potential majors that you may want to pursue. Attend college information sessions and webinars, talk to teachers or even your parents and keep a list of schools and programs that stand out to you. Six, build strong habits and routines. Habits that you develop now have a major impact on how you perform in your junior year. So that means you should create a system for staying organised, practice effective time management, read regularly to improve comprehension and vocabulary, prioritise sleep. Seriously, sleep so much this summer, you will need it. Balance academics, extracurriculars and personal time to avoid burnout. Now junior year is super scary and it is very intimidating, but I'll be making a series that will hopefully help you guys out to be more confident and thriving in junior year. Best of luck.
