Junior year has a lot going on. You have to make sure you’re on top of everything. But you also have to make sure you don’t freak out. Here’s a list of tips made from the combined knowledge of seasoned teachers and seniors:

1. You are going to break down at one point. The stress will get to you. You will cry, scream, want to stop everything. And that’s okay. It’s okay to be upset when things are upsetting. If anything, it’s more healthy to have your emotions out than in.  Just make sure you have some tissues on hand.
2. Surround yourself with friends. Do your work obviously, but be social, go out, talk to people. Your friends are going to understand what you are going through. They will help you get through this if you let them.  It’s easy to forget you are not alone when you surround yourself with prep books and study guides.
3. You are not going to get perfect grades. It could be in the past, you got A plusses on almost every assignment. That isn’t going to happen in a lot of AP classes because they are supposed to be hard. One bad assignment isn’t going to ruin your grade. Even if it does, that’s okay, even if it’s cliché, your grades don’t define you.
4. Believe in your abilities. You have made it this far in government mandated schooling without flunking out. Exams are stressful, but you do not always need to worry that somehow you will commit a major error. You have done it before, so you most certainly can do it again.
5. Eat, sleep, and rest. Your mental capabilities are largely defined by your health. To keep yourself at peak condition, you are going to have to listen to your body. Do not skip a meal because you’re too focused on an assignment. And studying hours into the night only means you will be exhausted the next day and you will remember one piece of information you.
6. Do not procrastinate (as much as possible) Studying for two hours straight the night before is not as effective as studying for half an hour each day a few days before. There’s a lot of work this year, but it is especially a lot when you leave it all till the last minute. Do a little everyday.
7. Go outside. Talk a walk. Ride your bike. Lay down in the park. Go somewhere not enclosed by four walls and forget about your to-do list for a few minutes. We live in sunny Southern California. Take advantage of that.