If you are looking for the best ways to survive junior year, you’ve come to the right place! Knowing how to survive junior year is crucial because junior year is the year colleges determine whether or not you are prepared for college-level classes. This is why we’ve assembled a list of 10 tips for junior year that will help you thrive as you prepare for a seamless transition into college. That said, follow this guide to learn why junior year is important and how to prepare for junior year.

Why is junior year the hardest year of high school?

You may be asking yourself, “Is junior year hard?” or “What should I expect of my junior year?”. We’re here to answer all of your questions. Junior year of high school is the year your grades are going to matter the most. Without a doubt, it’ll be your busiest year of high school, as well as your most important year of high school, primarily because you’ll be preparing for college.

If you’re interested in not only knowing how to pass junior year but how to thrive during your junior year, consider some of the following tips:

1. Focus on your grades

During your junior year of high school, your grades are going to be extremely important. Colleges will be on the lookout for how capable you are during this particular year. Having impressive grades, especially in advanced classes, is what will be most important to college admissions. This is why junior year is so hard and why it’s important to focus on your high school GPA.

On a related note, many students find themselves wondering: Should I take AP classes junior year? And how many AP classes should I take junior year? If you have similar concerns, review our article on the importance of course rigor in your college admission narrative.

Ways to achieve excellent grades

Consider taking on advanced-level classes as you go into your junior year. But if you start to notice your grades slipping, ask for help. Your grades are extremely important and your teachers are accessible for the questions you may have about assignments. Use that to your advantage. Impress your teachers and potential colleges with the hard work and dedication you’re putting in. 

Another way you can achieve a successful year of grades is by staying organized. Have a calendar or planner designated to the dates you have tested and when you need to turn in assignments. This is also a good place to keep track of your college application deadlines.    

Click here for a college planning checklist made for juniors

2. Take advanced classes

If you want to know how many AP classes to take junior year, review our complete list of AP classes with passing rates. In general, students with plans to apply to highly-selective schools should aim to take between 4 and 8 AP classes. If you have other questions about how many AP classes to take in high school, ask your teachers and high school guidance counselor to help you design a manageable course load.

It’s important to take advantage of the AP classes that your high school offers and to take courses you are genuinely interested in. So if you’re wondering, what classes should I take junior year?, consider taking several advanced-level classes. And remember, your grades are extremely important, so approach your teachers with any questions you may have about your assignments.

3. Start researching colleges

Why is junior year so important? In short, this is the year you’ll start researching and making decisions about college. In other words, now is the time to learn how to research colleges effectively and to start planning college tours over the summer. If you need help knowing how to find the right college for you, reach out to your high school guidance counselor for further insight.

4. Seek out leadership opportunities

A great way to impress college admissions is through your involvement with extracurricular activities, especially if you are able to take on leadership roles and responsibilities. In fact, knowing how to demonstrate leadership skills in high school may be key in helping you attend the college of your dreams.

Regardless of your interests, rest assured there is an extracurricular activity out there for you! Reach out to your high school guidance counselor to see what opportunities may be available to you. You could be participating in anything — from sports to Model UN to drama performances. You’ll also want to keep in mind that colleges value students who participate in volunteer opportunities as well.

Click here for more opportunities

Ways to Implement Leadership Opportunities

Whether you are a competitive person or you like expressing yourself, there is an extracurricular activity out there for you! Contact the admissions office at your high school to see what opportunities you would be able to take advantage of. You could be participating in anything from sports to drama performances. Colleges also like students who participate in community services, so keep that in mind as well when you’re searching for extracurricular activities.   

5. Stay organized

Learn how to keep track of deadlines and prioritize your time. Get an agenda book and write down all of your assignments, along with their due dates. Tips on staying organized in high school can include some of the most valuable advice for juniors. Next year, you’ll need to keep track of a lot of college application materials and deadlines. This is why it’s important to try to learn good organizational skills early.

6. Prepare for standardized tests

You may be wondering, why is junior year so stressful? Well, one of the primary reasons has to do with standardized tests. Junior year is a big year for standardized exams. This is the year that you take the PSAT, SAT, SAT subject tests, ACT, and oftentimes, several AP exams.

Let’s start with the PSAT. Essentially the PSAT is a practice test for the SAT and is one of the best ways to prepare for the SAT. What most students don’t know is that once they take the SAT, it automatically qualifies them for the chance to get the National Merit Scholarship

Now, let’s talk about AP tests: These are high-level tests you can use to your advantage if you score well. Just like studying for the SAT, you will have to put time aside to study for your AP tests. These rigorous courses are paired with equally difficult tests, so make sure you are absorbing information and studying the material as well.

And, of course, you’ll want to schedule your SAT/ACT exam as soon as you are able. Review upcoming SAT and ACT test dates so that you can plan ahead and come up with your ideal SAT study plan and schedule.

Click here for SAT and ACT study plans

7. Develop good study habits

If there is any advice that we can give to 10th-grade students that are going into 11th grade, it’s don’t procrastinate. Get all of your work done on time. In fact, this is great advice for high schoolers in general. After all, it’s harder to make up assignments than to just do them when they are expected of you. Since you are going into your third year of high school, stay organized and don’t slack on deadlines.

8. Balance your academics and social life

One of the keys to knowing how to get through junior year is to learn how to balance your academics with your social life. After all, junior year is the year you prove that you are ready for the real world and deserve to go to college. While this may seem like a lot of pressure, it’s important that you balance your life out.

With school, extracurriculars, and community service, you are still going to need time for yourself and for fun. Thinking about the future and enjoying the moment can be difficult and overwhelming. It’s important to rest and get a good amount of sleep. You may find yourself becoming stressed out as the school year goes on. Just remind yourself to slow down and rest.

9. Make meaningful summer plans

There are lots of junior year tips to keep in mind during the school year, but what about during the summer? If you want to know what you should be doing the summer before your senior year, you may want to consider attending a pre-college summer program or designing a high school passion project.

Pre-college summer programs offer endless opportunities in a wide variety of subjects. If you’re interested in learning more about them, review our article, Breaking Down Pre-College Summer Programs. That said, regardless of your specific plans, the most important thing is to use your summer meaningfully and productively.

10. Start thinking about financial planning for college

It’s no secret that attending college is a huge financial commitment. This is why you should take the opportunity to have a meaningful discussion with your parents about the financial realities of college. Engage in financial planning for college as soon as you are able and familiarize yourself with the FAFSA. You’ll also want to know what to expect from your financial aid package and review how to write an essay for scholarships.

Junior year of high school checklist

Freshman year and sophomore year were gearing you for the advancement of your last years in high school. Your senior year is supposed to be a little more relaxed compared to your junior year. Although as high school students you are going to need to think about what your college years are going to look like. This may involve using a checklist of everything that you need to accomplish in your junior year.

To prepare for your first year of college we suggest completing this checklist in your junior year:

  • Get letters of recommendation
  • Apply for Colleges
  • Meet with a counselor for extracurriculars 
  • Apply for financial aid 
  • Apply for a merit scholarship
  • Complete AP courses
  • Take standardized tests 
  • Take college visits over summer and winter break
  • Study for the SAT (take the psat)

Final thoughts

In conclusion, if you want to achieve a successful junior year in high school, it is recommended that you stay organized. To embark on a successful junior year of high school, you are also going to need to stay on top of your assignments and participate in as many activities as possible. Don’t forget to study hard and, most importantly, enjoy the moment! Your enrollment into college is important, so make all of your studies count! If you have questions or concerns about your college applications, reach out to learn about our college counseling services.

It’s no secret that Ivy League colleges are competitive. But did you know their acceptance rates are as low as 3.4%? Knowing how to get into an Ivy League takes a lot of hard work and a compelling admissions strategy. But even if you know what college admissions officers look for in an applicant, Ivy Leagues can only admit a small fraction of students.

But what does this mean exactly? Well, let’s take a quick look at some numbers. This year, Harvard received 56,937 applications, and UPenn received over 59,000 applications. The bottom line? Chances of admission to an Ivy League this year ranged from 3.4% to approximately 8%.

In this article, we will share each Ivy League’s overall acceptance rate, as well as their Early Decision (ED) acceptance rate, total applications received, and their undergraduate population. So if you’re interested in learning more about how many Ivy Leagues there are, what Ivy Day is, the easiest Ivy League to get into, and other Ivy League admissions statistics, you’ve come to the right place!

Ivy Day 2023

To start, what is Ivy Day? Ivy Day is the day when all eight Ivy Leagues — Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, and Yale — announce their admissions decisions for regular decision applicants. So when is Ivy League decision day? This year, Ivy Day was March 30th, and decisions were released at 7 pm EST, which means that the Ivy Day results are in!

2023 Ivy League acceptance rates

Interested in what Ivy League has the highest acceptance rate? Or the lowest? On March 30th, 2023 (Ivy Day), the eight Ivy Leagues released their acceptance rates for the Class of 2027. In the table below, you will find the acceptance rates for the Class of 2027 — as well as Ivy League acceptance rates for 2022. This is the second year Princeton has chosen not to release official statistics; therefore, the figures listed are approximate.

Name of College 2023 Acceptance Rate 2022 Acceptance Rate
Brown 5.1% 5.0%
Columbia 3.9% 3.7%
Cornell ~8% 7.3%
Dartmouth 6% 6.2%
Harvard 3.4% 3.2%
Princeton ~4% ~4%
UPenn 4.1% 4.4%
Yale 4.4% 4.5%

Source: Ivy League Acceptance Rates For The Class of 2027 – Crimson Education US

2023 Ivy League early decision statistics

The table below lists the Early Decision (ED) and Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) statistics for the Ivy Leagues’ Class of 2027. It’s worth noting that the Ivy League with the lowest acceptance rate for both Early Decision and Regular Decision is Harvard University. Conversely, the Ivy League schools with the highest acceptance rates are Brown, Dartmouth, and Cornell.

Name of College 2023 Early Decision Acceptance Rate 2022 Early Decision Acceptance Rate
Brown 13% 15%
Columbia 11.3% 10%
Cornell TBA Not reported
Dartmouth 19% 20%
Harvard 7.6% 7.9%
Princeton TBA 16%
UPenn TBA Not reported
Yale 10% 11%

Source: https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/2027-ivy-league-acceptance-rates/

If you’re curious about the advantages of Early Action and Early Decision, refer to our article on the topic here.

How many applications did each Ivy League receive (2023)?

Curious how many students applied to each Ivy League in 2023? In the table below, we list the total number of applicants for the 2023 admissions cycle. We also include the undergraduate population for each of the eight Ivy Leagues.

Name of College Number of Applicants (2023) Undergraduate Population
Brown 51,302 7,125
Columbia 57,129 9,739
Cornell Not reported 15,735
Dartmouth 28,841 4,000+
Harvard 56,937 7,153
Princeton Not reported 7,153
UPenn 59,000+ 9,962
Yale 52,250 6,536

How many applications did each Ivy League receive (2023)?

One of the reasons why Ivy League schools are becoming even more selective isn’t necessarily because they have higher expectations. Rather, with the rise of test-optional admissions, students with solid grades but low test scores are more likely to apply to Ivy Leagues than they would have been previously. This means that the applicant pool has increased significantly, thus driving down acceptance rates.

With a surge in overall applications, Ivy League colleges are receiving more Early Decision applications. They are also lengthening their waitlists as they adjust to their new numbers. But what are some of the other College Admissions Trends for 2023 to keep an eye out for?

Well, it’s worth noting that the Supreme Court is pursuing two cases concerning Affirmative Action. Although the ruling has still not been decided, the country is anxious to answer the question: How Will the Supreme Court Cases Affect College Admissions? You’ll also want to keep your eye out for how ChatGPT will affect college admissions standards, especially with respect to the college essay.

Key takeaways and moving forward

Now that Ivy Day has come and gone, many students will have to grapple with reasons why college applications may be rejected. Other students will have to figure out what to do if they’ve been waitlisted. But for those students who didn’t gain a spot at an Ivy League this year, don’t worry; your other college letters are not far behind.

And if you still have your heart set on attending an Ivy League, you may want to consider taking a gap year and reapplying next year or familiarizing yourself with the transfer process. In the meantime, if you feel like you could benefit from working with a professional college counselor, reach out to learn more about our services.