It’s a common misconception to many students that sophomore year is the time to kick back and relax before the hard work begins. This is the year when you should be preparing for the long haul. Guess what? Now your GPA matters! That’s right, folks! Most colleges don’t count freshman year, but sophomore grades will be a big factor to the college you attend. Better stop slacking off and start reeling in those A’s.

This is also a good time to start planning for all those big tests the juniors constantly whine about. What are they called? SAT’s or something? Well, now would be a good time to get the facts straightened out and decide which tests you want to take and when to take them. Make a calendar of when you plan to take your standardized tests so that you are plenty prepared for them. Figure it out now instead of struggling with what you want to do next year, as you will have even less time to figure out all that stuff.

In a nutshell, you should use this year to make your junior year easier. If you start to think about where you want to go to college, which tests to take and what you want to do with your future, you have already eliminated most of the stress that is accompanied by junior year.

Now was that so hard? Of course not. If you stay prepared for what lies ahead of you, then you shouldn’t have a problem with sophomore year and the rest of high school will be more manageable as well. I did say have fun, right? No, that is not a typo. You read it right. There is no point in lying—you won’t be seeing much of your friends next year because you will become a slave to the AP system, incapable of anything except studying till you need to pop four Advils to make your head stop aching. Make the most out of your waning freedom and hang out with your friends at the beach or in the city.

What advice would you give to the class of 2008 for sophomore year?

“Stay away from AIM.” —Judy Sol (11)

“No matter what happens, always chase your passions.” —Mike Lee (11)

“Study over the summer and keep on track with homework.” —Arundhati Ranganath (11)

“Don’t slack off, your grades an scored will determine your lifestyle for the future.” —Mia Cheeseman (11)