4 Painless Ways To Spend Your Holiday Break Preparing for College

Yay! A break from school! You get to enjoy food and a little bit of doing nothing, right? Not if you are a Junior or Senior in high school. This is a great time to get a jump start on your future if you are a Junior or play catch-up if you are a Senior. If you are a parent or grandparent of a high school student, you too can use some of these tools to help you communicate or encourage your child to take some time to see what their options are.

Here are some (fairly painless) ways to be productive during your fall break.

Check Out Colleges Online

Most colleges won't be open during the holiday break but that doesn't mean you can't browse colleges via your computer. Here is a tool that lets you put in your preferences and it will match you up with some college choices. It's like the eHarmony of high education.

Study for the ACT/SAT

This a great time to take a practice test or do some studying for these standardized tests.

Look at Possible Majors

Most high schoolers have no idea what they want to major in but you'll have to pick something sooner or later. Use this handy tool to get more info on what's available.

Volunteer

You know what looks great on a college application? Volunteer work! There are a lot of organizations that need help this time of year. Find a toy, canned food or coat drive and dig in!