Junior year can be intimidating and even downright scary sometimes, but with the right approach, you can make things a lot easier for yourself.

Don’t take classes just for the AP credit

Make sure that your schedule is full of classes that you actually want to take. Many juniors get caught in the trap of simply taking AP classes for the credit—and then really struggling in them. Choose your classes wisely based on your strengths and weaknesses. For example, if you are great at writing and analysis, AP English Language and Composition or AP Research could be great classes for you. However, if you find writing difficult and are better with STEM-based classes, you might want to consider dual enrollment English and focus your schedule and electives around STEM classes. Trust me when I say that your future self will thank you.

Focus on building meaningful relationships with your teachers

Teachers are there to help you, and they are more inclined to do so if you take the time to cultivate a good working relationship with them. This doesn’t have to be anything crazy—just making sure to say hello and goodbye everyday, asking them how their weekend was or how their day is going. Showing that you care about them and their lives is a good way to get them to care about you and your performance as a student. This is also incredibly important in junior year, because you need to ask for recommendation letters from your teachers for senior year when you apply to colleges. The more your teachers know you and like you as a person, the better your recommendation letter will be. Also, it just makes school more fun!

Ask for recommendation letters early

Junior year is the perfect time to start asking for college recommendation letters. At McLean, many teachers have limits on the number of letters that they will write, and their spots will fill up quickly. To make absolutely sure that you can get one from the teacher that you want, be sure to ask in late February or early March. You don’t need one from each teacher, just two from two teachers who know you very well, or whose classes are relevant to your potential college major. Once the teacher that you are asking says yes, make sure to provide them with a detailed brag sheet, or fill out any sort of google form that they give you in a timely manner. Also, don’t forget to show your rec letter writers that you appreciate them! Give them a nice gift on teacher appreciation day, or just in general. Make your gratitude known.

Start visiting colleges

Though junior year is incredibly busy already, it is also a good time to start checking out colleges in-person. Start as early as possible. Schedule college visits over long weekends or days off. Labor day weekend is a great opportunity to start. Begin to get a gauge of what you are looking for in a college. Do you like city campuses? Small college towns? Do you want to go to a big school? A small one? What is the most important thing that you absolutely need to see in a college in order to consider going there? These are all great questions to start asking yourself as you begin your college search.

Don’t procrastinate

I know, it is incredibly tempting. Junior year burnout is a painfully real phenomenon. There will be many days where you feel like you can’t possibly do any work, but trust me when I say that putting off any amount of work will only make your life harder in the long run. Take advantage of any class time given to you to complete as much work as possible, especially if you are a student athlete. Depending on how many AP classes you take, your homework load for junior year could be anywhere from one to five hours. That is not to say that every night will consist solely of homework, but for most students heavily involved in after school activities, junior year causes many late nights. By procrastinating, you only decrease the amount of precious sleep that you get each night. Do homework in a timely manner.

Take advantage of retakes

Don’t discount the power of retakes. Retakes to 90% are an absolute blessing, especially when you have three to four tests and a paper due on the same day. Be sure to make good use of it. Study thoroughly for your retakes; go back over your old mistakes and learn from them so that you can do substantially better when you retest. If you properly utilize them, retakes can be a game changer for grades.

Start working on your SAT or ACT score

With school and sports, it can be difficult to find time to study for a big test like the SAT or ACT. Even so, make sure to sign up for some testing dates. Since you have multiple chances to take these tests, use the first time as a baseline score, then work up from there. Use the score breakdowns to your advantage, and make sure to focus the most attention on your problem areas. Starting early is best, but schedule your first test for whenever you feel ready.

Look into summer programs

Around December, start looking into any summer programs or internships that you may want to apply for. Applications for these programs usually start in February at the earliest, and you don’t want to miss them. If you have a potential interest that you may want to major in while in college, find programs that relate to that topic. This helps to show dedication and build a solid college resume and application. There are so many opportunities that you are guaranteed to find something.

Give yourself a little bit of grace

As you may have heard, junior year is no walk in the park. It is extremely difficult, and some days all you can do is just get through it. For the students involved in three different sports, four clubs and public service, I wish you the best of luck. The good news is that it is only one year of your life, and a lot of it depends on the choices you make. Just remember, it is okay to give yourself space to make mistakes sometimes. You need to figure out what works for you specifically—and stick with it. Not everything has to be perfect all the time. If you are trying your best, that is enough.