Looking Ahead to the Junior Year – Full Speed Ahead!
What may the junior year hold in store for you? You can read ahead on the website, talk to juniors and seniors and use the summer ahead to investigate more about your direction(s). Depending on how your sophomore year went, your might even have an internship or overseas term already planned.
Looking ahead, looking back
- You are halfway to graduation, and the time will go even faster now.
- The most uncertain part of the journey is behind you. Congrats!
- You should have a fair idea of your direction, and it will be easier to focus on a goal.
- You have sharpened your academic skills and are better prepared for classes in your major.
A major plan
- You will have declared a major by the end of the sophomore year, perhaps before.
- The (often loose) connection between major, field of study and potential careers should be more clear.
- Some major classes have been completed, and next year you will make great progress.
- You will have talked to juniors and seniors in your major to see what choices they made.
- Your flexible four-year plan will have many facets to enhance in your junior year:
- The required classes within your major, with terms and times
- A selection of remaining DRs, narrowing down to those that will be helpful
- Overseas study, if required by your major
- A plan for a potential minor, if there is inclination/room/time
- Some spring term options, or plans to gain unique experiences
- Summer plans as they develop (classes, internships, career-related employment)
That career thing
By understanding your values, strengths and talents, motivation and drive, you will:
- Have a better sense of yourself and what you are capable of achieving
- Create a target for career satisfaction
Researching potential careers will continue into the junior/senior year, because:
- Many potential careers could meet your needs
- There are opportunities and jobs you have never heard of still out there for you to find!
You’ll continue to work on things like informational interviews and job shadowing to:
- Gain a knowledge of what careers and jobs are really like
- Connect with Alma alumni through the Alma Circle (see the alumni web pages)
- See the wide variety of paths others have taken toward their goals
- Learn how others have positioned themselves and acquired unique experiences
- Help focus on and prepare for a possible internship in your junior year!
There’s only one you!
Your Junior Year is the perfect time to continue your unique journey, and it’s often packed with unusual opportunities. Seek these out and add them to your wish list now! It’s not just what you have learned, but what you plan to do with it that helps keeps you focused on the path toward graduation.
So have a great summer, but don’t forget to think ahead!
