Advice From a Senior to Juniors
Hello juniors! You’re entering a challenging time and I’m here to (hopefully) help alleviate some stress with a few tips.
Right now, you all are grappling with a lot of questions surrounding college admissions. Do you get outside-of-school college counselors? When do you start your essays? How difficult is your schoolwork going to be going forward?
The answer to the last one is, unfortunately, difficult. Your junior spring grades are crucial since they’re the most important ones to colleges, and your senior fall grades matter too. It’s time to stay locked in, take rigorous courses and aim for strong performances — the light at the end of the tunnel makes everything worth it.
Nobody understands the admissions process better than the Menlo college counselors, so please utilize them (schedule meetings early, as they are quite busy). I’d especially lean on them when forming your college list. If you want outside help for essays, that’s fine, but it’s also perfectly okay to rely solely on Menlo’s team. Just pace yourself and stay organized.
Speaking of pacing — this semester, focus on keeping your grades strong and touring colleges if possible. Use the summer to tackle your Common App essay, activities and UC essays. Try hard to finish these before senior year starts so you can focus on supplemental essays during your busy senior fall.
Senioritis does exist, but no senior can check out fully. Colleges monitor senior year grades and rescind offers if you slack off. And not everyone knows where they’re going to college by the time spring hits — there is still a lot of stress going around. So while senior spring will have its fun moments, keep up with your responsibilities.
The next nine months will be tough but rewarding. Good luck!
Advice From a Junior to Sophomores
Hello sophomores! You’ve probably heard that junior year is tough, and honestly, it’s true. I’m not here to scare you, but I won’t sugarcoat it either. The good news? There are ways to prepare now to make things easier later.
First, establish good homework and study habits now. Trust me, it’ll be a lifesaver. One of the best things you can do is find a productive place to work. At the end of my sophomore year, I got into the habit of doing homework in bed, and it never ended well — I’d wake up in a panic realizing I hadn’t finished my assignments. Learn from my mistakes and find a distraction-free workspace!
Many of you are also prepping for the SAT or ACT, which is great, but remember: school assignments should come first. Right now, your grades matter more than your test scores, so prioritize turning in papers and projects on time.
And of course, procrastination; the struggle is real, even for the most productive students. Junior year will keep you busy, and you’ll be drained when it’s time to tackle tough assignments. I’m still working through my own procrastination, but what helps me most is a reward system, breaking work into smaller tasks and giving myself a snack or break after each one.
Junior year will be challenging, but you’ve got this! Wishing you all the best as you finish sophomore year and take on junior year.
Advice From a Sophomore to Freshmen
Hello freshmen! Congratulations on making it more than halfway through your first year of high school. Sophomore year is approaching quickly, and it’s definitely an important year to prepare for. But don’t worry, I have a few tips to help you have a good second semester, and set yourself up for success next year.
First of all, if you are hoping to improve in a certain class or build a relationship with a teacher, make sure to go to lots of tutorials and show your dedication to the class. Having one-on-one meetings with your teacher, even for a quick five minutes, really helps with knowing exactly which areas you need to improve in. There is still lots of potential for the second semester, so don’t give up hope in certain subjects you may be struggling with.
But more importantly, it’s not too late to do anything! Don’t feel like you have to have found your school activities and good friends, because there’s still so much time. Don’t be afraid to go to a club for the first time or try out a sport you’re completely unfamiliar with — freshman and sophomore years are the perfect time to find out what you like and learn more about yourself. Keep an open mind, and know there are still so many possibilities; you can still join sports teams and other activities like Model UN or Menlo Mock Trial in sophomore year, and even start a club later on — there’s no need to feel behind. And more importantly, there’s still so much to look forward to!
