My family friend told me that I wouldn’t make it out alive. My older cousin warned me of constant battle cries. My neighbor advised me to take cover and hide at any given moment. My dog walker told me that her son is forever traumatized. 

But, despite the severe warnings from my peers, my junior year was not that bad. 

“That’s a big year” and “oh no, good luck” were the two most common phrases that I heard before my start to 11th grade. I heard horror stories from my older friends about all-nighters, meltdowns in class and constant burnout. As a result, I walked through the front doors of Staples on the first day of school in my new blue jeans, my white tee shirt, and a fake smile, absolutely convinced that I was about to have the worst year of my life. 

In the beginning of the year, I would come home from school and study until it was time to go to bed. I tediously did my homework in fear of falling behind and failing. However, it wasn’t that bad. I still went to bed at my usual 10:30 p.m.; I still had time to hangout with my friends over the weekends; and most importantly, I still had my mental sanity. “It’s still the beginning of the year though,” I told myself, “It has to get worse.”

At times, it did. Balancing school work, standardized test prep, tutors and my social life wasn’t easy. I became okay with missing an occasional get-together to study for a big test coming up, or sitting in the “quiet zone” of the library during my free period to work instead of hanging outside with my friends. Once I started to do well in my classes, I became more motivated to do even better. I let the academic validation get to my head and I truly believe that it helped me in the long-run. 

Although boring and definitely draining, my junior year taught me my strengths as a student. I learned that while I can crank out a perfect DBQ in my history class, I have to work harder and prepare more for a science test. While I can easily grasp information in AP U.S. Government, I should probably spend more time studying for my Pre-Calc A test. As a junior, you learn how to get the most done in the least possible amount of time–a skill that I have mastered. 

I also learned not to trust a single soul. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that a class is hard, that a teacher is bad or that you shouldn’t do something that you want to do. My easiest class was the class that I was told would be the hardest. Everyone has different strengths, weaknesses and experiences that shape their opinions, and it’s important to take everything with a grain of salt. 

I can’t say that I didn’t hang up motivational quotes on my bulletin board or that I didn’t complain to my parents on occasion about doing work, but those are the things that kept me going. I savored the early walks from Wakeman, the lunch waves with my friends and the “10 minute homework breaks” that turned into hours. I tried to recognize the joy in my life instead of allowing stress to consume me. I worked my butt off, but never held myself back from having a good time. 

In the end, I always tell myself that we’re living on a floating rock. That one bad grade means nothing. You should go to bed instead of studying for 10 more minutes because being tired in the morning sucks. You should take classes that will challenge you, but you shouldn’t overwork yourself to the point where you’re miserable. You should expect to face some hardships, but you shouldn’t dwell on them. 

Going into my senior year, I am expecting the absolute best. I will walk through the Staples doors on my first day in blue jeans, my pink “Senior Girls” shirt, and a real smile across my face. Hopefully this time I won’t be surprised with the opposite.