Young White woman in green blouse laughing in class of diverse students

Video: 5 Tips to Increase Your Junior Year Success

Junior year has a reputation for being tough, but our student vlogger Robert knows the best tips and tricks to help you succeed all year long.

Junior year has a reputation for being tough—it is when you have to really start thinking about college after all. But our student vlogger Robert knows the best tips and tricks to help you succeed. To stay on top of academics, extracurriculars, and more, check out the video below to learn more!

Get a notebook or binder (1:05)

When it comes to applying for college and having to talk about your accomplishments in high school, it’s hard to remember everything. You should keep an ongoing notebook of all your major achievements, volunteer work, awards, etc. This way, all crucial information will be in one place for you to easily circle back to and reference in all your college applications. Try to start this as early as you possibly can—and get specific with your details, like how long your commitments lasted or what positions you held. 

Related: Video: Organization and Time Management Skills

Begin to find your niche (2:20)

Colleges like, at least to some degree, students who have an idea of what they want. If you structure your courseload in high school to mimic the way your schedule will look in college, you will increase your chances of getting admitted. Really think about what you're good at or what you might like to do after college and load up on your best subjects. Make sure you take classes you like for colleges you want to pursue because success is already loving what you do! Start exploring your career path early. Sure, it'll be a while before you get there, but looking to your future can be motivating.

Figure out your identity (5:40)

Finding your identity can be quite difficult in high school. People are at a vulnerable age and go through a lot of changes. You'll deal with a lot of judgments thrown your way. Despite this, it's important to embrace who you are and to power through the superficial noise. There are so many voices saying things—including in your own head—but none of them should stop you from being unabashedly you. Don't be afraid to be you, and you'll find much more success throughout life than if you let others dictate your choices. 

Related: 4 Great Ways to Start Thinking About Your Future Career

Solidify relationships with your teachers (6:50)

This is super important when it comes to getting a recommendation letter for college. When it comes time to ask for them, you're most likely going to seek out teachers from junior or senior year. And what's going to be a better letter: a teacher who barely knew you or one you really connected with who remembers you as a good student? Form relationships with teachers so they can write a much more valuable recommendation letter because a good rec letter can be a make-or-break situation.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes (8:24)

Avoid putting too much pressure on yourself. Take your academics seriously, but find a balance. Yes, we all make mistakes, but the most important thing is to learn from them. At some point, everyone fails. But once we do that, we learn more about ourselves and how capable we are of achieving our goals.

Related: How to Manage Your Stress for Better Health as a Student

Don't make what is often believed to be the toughest year of high school even more difficult by going into it unprepared. Arm yourself with the organizational skills and resources you need to tackle the start of the college search, challenge yourself in your classes, explore your passions, and have some fun along the way. 

Start searching for colleges on CollegeXpress, and watch more videos from our student vloggers on the CollegeXpress YouTube Channel!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About CollegeXpress

CollegeXpress

Welcome to CollegeXpress, your one-stop college shop! We’re a free college planning website used by millions of college-bound students, parents, and counselors—anyone who needs help navigating the college search and application process, financial aid opportunities, and more. You’ll find comprehensive College Search and Scholarship Search tools, tons of articles and expert advice, unique college Lists & Rankings, and lots of other resources to help make your life easier. Teen Vogue even named us one of the 7 Best College Search Websites! But current college students and recent grads also love CollegeXpress for our Graduate Program Search and endless information on student life, internships, and beyond. We really have something for everyone, no matter where you are in your college journey. Create a free account to start connecting with colleges, winning scholarships, and more!

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

The University of Tampa

Tampa, FL


Jasmine

Jasmine

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress helped me find the school I am currently attending by consistently sending me emails of other schools. This allowed me to do research on other schools as well as the one I am in now!

Aaliyah

Aaliyah

High School Class of 2022

My mother signed me up for a couple of scholarship contests through CollegeXpress. I was also able to do some research and compare the different schools on my list. I was able to see the graduation rates and different programs that helped me decide on Adelphi University. I will continue looking for some scholarships for my start in September.

Lorena Bacallao

Lorena Bacallao

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress was the foundation of my college search process. Because of CollegeXpress, I was able to make a more informed and confident decision as to where it was best to pursue my higher education. I have recommended this website to fellow peers and for first-generation students like me. It’s a website I will continue to promote because of how simple it was to use and how many opportunities were offered to me at my fingertips!

Heather McCarty

Heather McCarty

High School Class of 2020

CollegeXpress has helped me with the college application process. The tips and tricks for important essays were so helpful. I also gained useful knowledge about college life. Even though I’m fully online, CollegeXpress has helped me develop a sense of how college is in person. The experiences from college students that were featured on their Instagram page have shown the good, the bad, and the “secret” life on campus from a reliable perspective. Not to mention, they relieved my feelings of anxiety about the workload. I can now understand how it can be stressful, but it takes self-control and willpower to get assignments completed on time and with quality.

Chris Bell

Chris Bell

Bell College Consulting

The college lists on CollegeXpress are indispensable for sussing out creative additions to a student’s list, and the college-specific pages provide terrific commentary and suggestions for related schools. CollegeXpress is among the most trusted sources I use for information for my students.