Juniors and seniors experience the most stress and pressure when it comes to work and activities in high school because their future is affected by those two years.

Many students focus on college and possible careers, and feel like choices made now in high school will make or break their future. With AP classes, extracurricular activities, and on top of that the normal workload from required classes, it’s no wonder why juniors and seniors are almost drowning in homework and stress.

The National Sleep Foundation says only about 15 percent of high school teenagers get the recommended eight and a half hours of sleep at night.

“Sometimes I don’t even get enough sleep,” said Chase Farrow, Middletown High School junior. “I have almost two and a half hours of homework every night and I usually have late practices. I definitely don’t have time for a social life.”

Junior year is usually the year students start taking AP classes and start to prepare for college. “I’m taking AP psych and AP U.S.,” said Mary Hillsman, MHS junior. “I’m definitely worried about college.”

“I haven’t even thought about college yet. I have too much to focus on right now,” Farrow said.

Throughout the year, many colleges visit MHS to try and encourage juniors and seniors to begin or continue looking into to schools.

Junior year can be especially overwhelming because the grades a student receives that year are the grades colleges look at the most.