Despite the stress that high school brings, sophomore year has been described by some as one of the most enjoyable years of high school, as it does not have the looming pressure of college.

The transition into second semester provides sophomores with the opportunity to reflect on the expectations and realities of this school year, while freshmen begin to ponder the year ahead.

One pressing concern for sophomores is the stress of honors and Advanced Placement classes–the second year of high school allows students to select more difficult classes than the first. Since many of these courses can be used to score extra GPA points and even college credit, the pressure is on to perform well.

Sophomore Maya Tucker’s initial concerns about sophomore year were regarding her first weighted class: Honors Chemistry.

“I’ve never taken an honors class before,” Tucker said. “I didn’t know how I was going to handle the stress, or how much stress there would be.”

Stress is not only prevalent in the lives of sophomores, but is also a large concern throughout other grade levels as well.

Freshman Megan Wachtel said she is also concerned about advanced classes.

“I’m nervous because it’s an AP class,” Wachtel said.“I’ve heard there’s a lot of work and I don’t have a lot of time.”

Wachtel is not the only one feeling overwhelmed.

The Born This Way Foundation and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence surveyed 22,000 high school students about how they were feeling in school. Results showed that “tired” and “stressed” were the two most common emotions that students felt throughout the school day. Positive emotions, like “happy” and “excited,” were less prevalent among students.

Course selection and deciding whether or not to take challenging classes has also proven to be a stressful process for some students.

Sophomore Leah Krauskopf mentioned some tips for selecting weighted classes, suggesting that students should select an appropriate amount of rigor.

“If you think it’ll be too stressful with other things going on in your life, then I wouldn’t,” Krauskopf said.

Tucker suggests trying to recognize the patterns that your teacher has.

“I was more confident going into second semester because I know how my teacher works and I can mentally prepare for the expected amount of homework,” Tucker said.

Although only a few short months separate freshman year from sophomore year, rising to the next level of the high school totem pole can have its perks.

Sophomore Ellie Remec describes differences she has found compared to freshman year.

“Sophomore year is definitely more fun,” Remec said. “It has gone by super fast while freshman year dragged on. Last year, I was more stressed out about school work, but this year I am not as much.”

Driving is also an exciting milestone in life that many students experience during their sophomore year.

“I’m excited for next year because I can take driver’s ed,” Wachtel said. “I won’t be a freshman anymore”