New Jersey High Schools

I'm a junior

 

Good luck with the junior year, it is difficult.

 

Hey I'm a junior too. I've heard people say that it was the hardest, but i've heard that sophmore year was the hardest too. Well, if i can suvive sophmore than i guess i can do junior year too. i've already got a lot of work and it's like the second week of school. hchristensenfan, what grade are you in and what school do you go to?

 

Yeah this year seems like it will be really difficult. I think I overloaded myself with too many hard classes.

 

I think i may have done the same thing. Trigonometry and honors English do not mix. Not to mention SATs, PSATs, and my AP exam. I get sick just thinkin about it. But senior year is the light at the end of the tunnel!

 

My Guidance Councilor convinced me into taking AP Bio and Honors Physics in the same year, plus AP History and Honors Pre-Calc. That combined with SATs and 2 AP tests plus sports is enough to make me contemplate suicide Everyone said that junior year is the most important year to most colleges so I decided what the heck I might as well challenge myself. I just hope it pays off

 

Man, and I though I was loaded down... I decided to take honors chemistry this year, and AP Bio next year, along with AP Euro History and hopefully AP English. My only AP class this year is AP history, and I really like that class. The thing is , my guidence councilor signed me up with Honors trigonometry and pre-calc. math isn't my strong suit, so maybe you can give me a little advice over the computer... it seems you're really into sports, and thats got to be a lot of pressure as well. i had to drop cross country cause i just didn't have the time. i'll just be happy if i can figure out how to work my graphing calculator i just paid a hefty price for

 

They made you buy a graphing calculator!

Anyway I know i'm in for one hell of a year. I never really had to study to get good grades. I think i've studied more this week then I have for the previous 2 years! I really like AP History too, mainly because of my teacher. Physics has been surprisingly tolerable so far. AP Bio has been really difficult compared to honors. I really hate math too but i'm pretty good at it (except for geometry).

 

Ya know, the weird thing about math is I was never really great at algebra, but geometry always came really easy with me. Most people say you either get one or the other, so. I was always really good at science, and never really had to study that. Does your school give you guys calculators, if so thats so unfair! Those things are like $100! and i'm like, i have to spend this money for something that i'll probably only use in high school. my favorite class is history, though. i've guess becuase i've just had a string of really good teachers. i've gotta go do some trig homework now i really hope all of this hard work will pay off with colleges.

 

We always have had graphing calculators assigned to us. In fact, just today my Pre-Calc teacher was b*tching and moaning about how the school wouldn't let him buy 100 of the new TI-89's. It was pretty funny. Math teachers get really passionate when it comes to graphing calculators

BTW are you taking the AP History test this year?

 

We had to go out and buy the new TI-89's, so your teacher can just keep on complaining. Yeah, I've got the AP test this year. We have been drilling on the DBQ section for like a year and a half now. My teacher gave us this packet full of amendments, treaties, and even some speaches to write a thesis on. I have American history coming out of my ears. But since history is my favorite class, i really enjoy it. I'll be happy to take the test and get it over with. we started with Columbus last year and are now studing the "New South" right after the Civil War. I'm looking forward to the roaring 20's. Where are you guys in history?

 

We just got done the Spanish-American War and now we are just talking about American imperialism in the late 1800's/early 1900's. I really want to get to the Post-WWII era. I think its really dumb how we never learn about recent history and politics. I guess it would be hard to find someone to teach it without being biased. Does your school offer any current events or modern politics class?

 

Nope, to tell you the truth i have never, ever gotten past WWII in ANY history class i have ever had. its always, George Washington and the revolution up to Abe Lincoln and the Civil War, usually. we will start the industrial age soon. i have to write a report saying how that was bad and how these huge tycoons, like Rockefeller and Vanderbilt turned America into one big mega-company. I would really like to study Vietnom, the Civil Rights movement, hippies, maybe even Reagand and the Star Wars plan. We should at least make it to the Civil Rights movement this year. The only history class after American history at our school is European History. which I've also already studdied before. There is the American Government class, that gets into politics today. It sounds interesting, i was thinking about maybe looking into next year. Which English do you have by the way?

 

I really can't wait to get past WWII this year. My history teacher is so interesting, but I hate studying the same time periods each year. The past 50 years of American history are the most important imho since they changed America into what it is today. Plus, there are so many interesting topics like the Cold War, space race, Vietnam, 60's and 70's culture change, watergate, the waning days of the USSR, America's bloating federal government, civil rights, 9/11, etc. Its by far the most interesting period of American history. Oh and I take A level English.

 

To tell the truth, the Cold War isn't to interesting to me. For world history, i had to write a 10-page paper on soviet control of Poland, and it wasn't to thrilling. My teacher last year gave us insight into American history that we never knew before. I know i will never look at the Pilgrims or Abe Lincoln the same way. I like that, cause every year we get the same story over and over, and its nice to see that those guys were real people just like us who made mistakes just like us. But i would love to understand what happened at Watergate, to see what led to the rebellion of hippies in the 70's to learn about JFK and the fall of the USSR. i don't know hardly anything on Vietnam, and its sad that they don't teach it to us. Is A level English like honors? thats what i have. i have to write an essay on the Great Gatsby, and i was wondering if you had to read that too. It was part of our summer reading assignment along with the Old Man and the Sea.

 

For A Level we just had to read 2 books, A Farewell to Arms and 1984. I signed up for honors but it wouldn't fit into my schedule. Honors is waaaay harder in our school though. I took honors last year and this year seems like it will be a breeze compared to it. I really don't like English though. We don't get to choose any of the materials we read. BTW did you guys have to talk about the Constitution today in History?

 

Its funny that you mentioned the constitution. My teacher said it was National Constitution Day, so we had to talk about it. I didn't believe what he said about other people having to study it. Thats pretty funny You guys read 1984, i think we have to read that next year. We are going to read the Grapes of Wrath, and that book is enormous. I hope its good. Have you taken the SATs yet?

 

No I took the PSATs last year. I did pretty good, but I want to improve by at least 100 points or so. People say that the PSATs are harder than the SATs, so I'm not too worried.

 

I took the PSATs last year, and did pretty good. People really say that it is harder than the SATs! You have just seriously made my day! I was just wondering if had taken the SATs so i could get your opinion on how hard they are. I'm going to take them twice this year and the PSATs again. I really want to get a scholarship. and i really want to be nominated into the National Honors Society. I guess i have to wait and see!

 

We just took a pre PSAT today. I think I did good besides the fact I fell asleep during the writing section. I don't even care because it didn't count anyway. I'm taking the PSATs again in October.

 

You fell asleep during the writing section? Thats great! You ever notice how they give you so much time for an easy section, but not enough for the hardest section? Maybe its just me. I'm going to take the PSATs too this fall. We haven't been doing anything with the PSATs in English, cause we are still going over our summer reading. I hope the test isn't too hard, cause it wasn't too bad last time I took it.

 

Yeah I raced threw the math part with 15 minutes to spare and then could't even finish the grammar part. In between the grammar and writing parts, I took a little nap. Nobody woke me up and I slept threw 2/3 of the writing part. We were in the cafeteria so no teachers saw me. I was about to punch the dude next to me for not waking me up.

 

I would have wanted to get angry at the guy for not waking me up if I were in your postion.

 

I would have been PO'd in your positon too! Would it have been that dificult to wake you up? Still is funny that you fell asleep, though. Anyhoo, I had my first history quiz of this year today. I wasn't bad, but I hope my grade agrees with me. I really hate those objective quizes where there's no definite answers and they ask some obscure question about nothing important. Are your tests like that? I'd much rather write an essay then do the objective.

 

Our history tests aren't that bad. They are usually about 50-70 multiple choice questions and 10 true/false questions. Also every unit we have a vocab test with about 100 words on it. Its pretty straight forward. We never really have any small quizes. Most people find tests either very easy or very hard.