Here at school, your grade is a big part of your identity. Whether you are an underclassmen or an experienced senior, everyone can agree that each grade has its own academic and social challenges, begging the question: What is the worst grade?
For freshmen, the first couple of months at school are a social challenge. You have to meet new people and find your way around the school. Transitioning into a new school’s unfamiliar environment can be challenging, especially after a long summer break.
“I would say freshman year was probably my worst year of high school,” senior Paul Cox said. “Middle school prepares you a little bit, but once you get to high school, the consequences become very real.”
According to Cox, the struggle in classes becomes a heavy burden, as getting bad grades could actually affect a student’s future.
“Teachers don’t trust you very much, and older classmates will probably pick on you,” Cox said. “You also have to make important choices on what activities you’ll be doing. It’s hard because middle school offers a lot less. You just don’t know what you’re going to find in high school. It’s a very stressful start.”
The challenge most sophomores face seems to be less social, but more academic and extracurricular, as the workload gets considerably harder during sophomore year, something senior Trevion Solberg remembers well.
“Sophomore year didn’t have freedom, and I found myself very tired, and the days felt really long,” Solberg said. “This year was probably my least favorite year. I was in three sports, and I had zero-hour weights. This meant I was getting to school at 6:30 in the morning and not leaving until 6:30 at night.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, junior year is the worst year of high school, describing high school as “A teeter-totter of freedom and dependence, junior year is a step into adulthood that somehow requires more parental focus than kindergarten. Forms that once came home from school in folders, or via email, are now handed to you by your child, often with just the signature line visible as if she were some unscrupulous relation trying to get you to sign a new will. Your signature is needed but not necessarily your input.”
“Junior year felt more relaxed as I wasn’t doing scholarships, so I felt that I had more free time junior year than I do now,” Solberg said. “I still think senior year has been my favorite, even though I’m a lot busier.”
For science teacher Ms. Alyssa Bell, it was also junior year that she described as the worst, due to her having less time doing things she loved.
“I really enjoyed every year of school overall, but if I had to choose, the worst grade in high school was probably my junior year,” Ms. Bell said. “It was my first year taking multiple AP classes, so I no longer participated in as many school activities and also had to get a job.”
Bell recalls spending less time with friends and doing activities she enjoyed.
“Before that, I was involved in as much as possible and made the most fun memories during my sophomore year,” Ms. Bell said. “No matter what class you are in, I think that your school year is what you make it, so I encourage everyone to try new things, make new friends, and take all the pictures because high school goes by way too fast.”
