Preparing for College Outside of School

What your teen does outside of the classroom can be just as important as what he or she does in class. Independent reading and study, extracurricular activities and work experience will help expand and develop skills, interests and goals.

Independent Reading and Study:
Independent reading and study is a good way to develop interests, expand knowledge, and even improve SAT and ACT scores. Encourage your teen to pick up an interesting book and read it for fun.

Extracurricular Activities:
Colleges are often interested in a student's extracurricular activities such as school clubs, the student newspaper, athletics, and musical activities as well as arts and drama. Encourage your high school student to look into school, community and religious organizations to find activities outside the classroom.

Work Experience and Community Service:
Work experience (paid or volunteer) may be a good way to gain experience in a possible career field while earning money for college. It's important to make sure that a job commitment doesn't interfere with homework or extracurricular activities.

Community Service for Academic Credit
Some schools offer academic credit for volunteer work through service learning. This is a teaching method that integrates hands-on learning (through service to the community) into the school curriculum. To find out if your teen's school offers service learning, have your child ask the guidance counselor or school principal. For K-12 Fact Sheets or information on service-learning programs, contact the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse at 1-866-245-SERV (7378) or www.servicelearning.org.