Make the Most Out of High School Winter Break
While winter break is typically an opportunity for a much needed rest during high school, it can also be pretty boring. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a nice time off of school, but the average teenager doesn’t usually have a ton of options for things to do. Unless they are traveling with family, most of the teens I work with spend their winter vacation hanging out at home eating junk food and vegging out on screens.
While that week may be too short to do anything super exciting, it’s just the right amount of time for most high school students to lay some groundwork for college. If you take that week to make some headway in preparing for college each year of high school, you’ll return to school feeling accomplished and energized for your future.
Freshman Year Winter Break College Prep
High school freshmen may not know much about college yet, and that’s okay! During freshman year, you’re still mostly in required classes without many options to explore your own interests. That will change with sophomore year when you have more opportunities for electives and classes that align with your natural abilities.
During winter break of your freshman year, look closely at your high school’s class offerings to start mapping out your sophomore year. Also, do some general exploration in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to see what kinds of careers look interesting. If something catches your eye, make a note to meet with your guidance counselor to learn more about that career path.
Sophomore Year Winter Break College Prep
During sophomore year, you may have started getting an idea about your abilities and interests. The classes that keep your attention, or the assignments that give you the most satisfaction in completing, could tell you something about the career field you should consider. When you look at your course choices for the next two years, it should be easier to chart your academic path. This means it’s also time to start gauging your qualifications.
While no one wants to think about tests over winter break, this is actually the perfect time to take your SAT or ACT diagnostic. When you have no other pressing assignments, you can focus on taking the test after a good night’s rest and with a clear mind. The diagnostic will help you determine how to best prepare for the official test, and it will give you an idea how you’ll score.
Junior Year Winter Break College Prep
Your junior year, you are getting a clearer picture of your professional goals, and you’re exploring the college majors that will help you achieve them. Your class schedule is getting pretty streamlined around the classes you need for graduation and the electives that you really enjoy. You may have taken your SAT or ACT exams in the fall, and you may be planning for another round in the spring. Junior year is busy, but you’re getting really focused on the future.
Since junior year is a bit more intense than other high school years, do something fun with winter break and plan some college visits. By now, you probably have a few schools on your radar. Do a little research and talk to your parents about touring some schools during your spring semester. You’ll make the most of those trips by doing this early research.
Senior Year Winter Break College Prep
It’s senior year, and you’re in the home stretch of high school. You should have submitted all of your college applications by now, and you’re ready to face your final semester. This is a time of wrapping up one phase of life and taking the first steps to embark on the next.
During this final high school winter break, set aside some time to really dig into scholarship opportunities. Some scholarship applications are time consuming, so taking a few days to concentrate on the forms is a really productive use of your time off. If you already started researching scholarships earlier in the year, winter break may be the time to finalize your essays and get all of the applications submitted.
Take Advantage of Winter Break for Great College Prep
You should definitely rest over winter break. Make sure you sleep in, hang out with friends, and enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. But during that strange week of nothing between Christmas and New Year’s, commit to being productive in order to stay on track for your college goals.
Whether you’re a self-starter or need a little direction, make the most of your winter break by scheduling a strategy session with me. I’ve partnered with many students and their families to leverage high school as a launchpad for college and career success.