Study Hard
Keep your grades strong, even in the classes that are difficult for you. Strong grades now mean that you will be able to access more rigorous classes in your Junior year.
Explore
This time of year is all about exploration! By reflecting on the things you are doing right now you can begin to understand what you find fulfilling career wise. This year, here’s what I want you to do:
Explore classes - Pay attention to what interests you and what you find difficult or uninteresting. This is an indicator of the things you may want to major in once you get to college.
Explore majors - Read through the majors handouts in your digital binder to find out more about majors and the associated careers.
Explore extracurriculars - Pay attention to the things you spend a lot of time doing outside of the classroom. What engages your mind enough that you lose track of time? What do you do to relax?
Explore careers through volunteering - Consider volunteering as a family to learn more about your community. Consider finding a volunteer position that is connected to an area of academics you like. This will help you understand what makes the organization work, giving you insight into what working in that field could be like.
Explore family connections - Think about the jobs the adults in your life have and ask them about their work! Your family friends are a part of your network and can help you understand what working in different areas of work can be like. The next time you’re spending time with family friends, ask them about their jobs - how they got there, what they like about it, and what they find hard.
All of this information will help you next year when you’ll start researching colleges and majors more!
Plan for the Summer
Start thinking about summer activities and programs that you’d like to be involved in. The more competitive programs often have application deadlines in December and January. For ideas about local and national activities, take a look at this list of summer programs and activities.