What survivors say...
"I would definitely recommend that students pick a topic that they can work on for a substantial portion of the school year without getting bored. Pick a topic that you can work passionately on, and all will be well. I wish I knew not to listen to any JRP alumni. The JRP is not the worst project in the world. It is not Satan's work. It is an opportunity to explore a topic you have always wanted to explore with the most freedom you will be given in high school."
"The JRP is NOT going to kill you! It is a long paper, yes, but it's written over the course of about two months. You are never alone. There's always someone in the class with the same issues/problems/questions as you, so you have no reason to get over-stressed. As long as you work on the things you need to get done every day, you will be fine. I promise. If you have questions or are confused about ANYTHING, ask your teacher. Give it all you've got because once it's done, you'll feel accomplished."
"USE YOUR TIME WISELY. WORK EFFICIENTLY. PICK A GOOD TOPIC (that you can work with, but also other people can work with to help you.)"
"Choose something you enjoy and have fun. Don't stress. That just makes it work...and make the outline amazing because it helps a ton."
"Don't stress; it's easier than you think. Keep up to date with each assignment. Pick a topic you like. Ask questions if you are unsure."
"Don't fall behind because it is really hard to catch up when you do."
"The JRP could be the worst or most interesting part of your English career. If you pick an interesting topic, the work becomes much less of a burden."
"The paper should be only about America. Tie the paper topic to America early on."
"It was not as bad as others made it seem, as long as you keep up to date with the deadlines, everything should be ok."
"Don't be overly stressed about it. Work on it a little bit each day from the beginning so you won't have to rush in the end. I wish I knew to set time everyday to work on it, that really would have helped."
"Don't take this paper lightly and definitely do not procrastinate."
"Keep track of the deadlines, so you don't end up with everything at the end. Make sure that the sources you are going to use are strong and helpful. Even though the notecards take a really long time, it really helps in the end when writing your paper."
"Don't get too stressed. Also, I wish I had known the importance of keeping a clear of idea of what I am trying to prove throughout the process, because it would have made researching and outlining easier."
"MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR WORK IN ON TIME!"
"Use your time efficiently and wisely, be clear with what you want to prove first before starting anything, and have as many conferenceas you need."
"Hit your deadlines. My grades got all messed up because I handed everything in late."
"Find a topic you WANT to spend two months researching and writing about. I know I did, and it was nice to spend time researching it."
"Do not procrastinate on the deadlines. Do a little bit of work each night instead of saving it all for the night before it is due. I wish I would have broken up my outline better so writing the rough draft could have been easier. Most importantly, DONT FREAK OUT!!"
"Try your hardest to make every deadline and take everything one step at a time. I think the most important part of the JRP is obviously the research, so I would suggest that you spend as much time as possible on your notecards."
"Pick a topic that you care about because once you pick a topic you can not change."
"The JRP is not that bad. As long as you stay on task and work in class, you'll be fine. I honestly did 85 percent of the work for this project in class or during my lunch period. Closer to the end I had to work on it at home a lot, but never stayed up until 3 in the morning to finish. Other teachers may make the JRP a lot harder, but Ms. AU has it planned out so it makes it understandable. It won't be easy, but it will definitely not be as hard as you think it will be."
"Just immerse yourself in your topic. Find any information on it that you can, even if it poses an opposing argument to yours. Any background information you find on your topic can really help you get a general sense of what you're going to be talking about, which is essential. In every day life, try to relate things to your paper."
"Don't stress out! Westfield really puts a big hype about the JRP, but it really didn't live up to it for me. It didn't consume all of my time, and it didn't stress me out. It was just an assignment, and as long as you keep up with the deadlines there's no reason it should become a burden."
"Just choose a topic that you are interested in, and that will help you improve yourself in a certain area. It's hell though."
"Set a schedule and stick to it. Its a huge project, but if you break it down into pieces, it will be much better and less stressful."