Junior year is going to be filled with more responsibilities, more seriousness, and more excitement. We are so close to graduation, and all we need to do is get through a couple of semesters. I can't wait for this next school year.

1. Finally an upperclassman

I've been waiting SO long to finally be an upperclassman, and it's finally here. There are seriously so many advantages to being an upperclassman such as getting to pick your classes and dorms earlier. I mean having enough seniority points is a real struggle for Rutgers students trying to find housing. Being a junior can be hard though because you're no longer an underclassman, but you're not a senior either.

2. I get to pick on the freshmen, right?

I've had my fair share of being picked on as a freshman student and now that I'm an upperclassman, I don't have to be part of the most hated grade anymore! As a rising junior, I find myself already making fun of the freshmen, in a playful way of course. Watching them reminds me of when I was a freshman too. It's interesting how we don't notice it at the time, but college goes by so fast. It makes me miss being a freshman, just kidding not really.

3. Closer to oh, so sweet graduation

Just thinking about graduation makes me so excited. It seems like college is flying right by and boy, I'm not sure if I want it to speed up or slow down. I want graduation to be here already but I also want to enjoy my college memories while they last. After all the hours of work we put in till now, graduation is just a couple semesters away. I can't believe that I'll be graduating soon. I mean, wasn't I just moving into my freshman dorm just the other day?

4. "Junior year is the hardest year ever," said every pre-med student ever

I am a pre-med student and for those like me, you know that junior year can be tough. In between taking advanced chemistry and physics classes, you also have to study for the MCATs and be on top of your extracurricular activities as well. It may seem like a lot, but just remember that after this year, you have another year where you can finally relax and get back to the less busy lifestyle you had before. We just got to get through this year. We got this!

5. Actually taking classes that are related to my major

During my first two years at Rutgers, I was able to take a variety of classes to see what subjects I liked and didn't like. After observing and experiencing different topics and classes, I know that the next two years will be filled with classes I love and enjoy learning. We're finally working to the subject area that we want to get our degree in and suddenly we're paying more attention to classes. For me, I am so excited to finally be taking the science classes I've always wanted to take.

6. Junior year means business

The party years are over. Most people look at the first two years of college as a time to attend college parties and have fun. Starting junior year, things start getting serious. You focus more on your classes and know that putting in the hard work now means you'll end up with the result we all want so bad: graduation! So if you're a junior like me, here's to starting a new school year filled with motivation and determination to getting those A+ grades and acing all our classes.