Maximize Winter Break for College Research

As a junior or senior, there’s plenty to do to prepare for the college application process. And with school and extracurricular activities taking up a lot of time, it’s difficult for many students to focus on their tasks like they need to.  

Luckily, winter break is a good chance for college-bound students to put attention toward their college-related tasks. Here are several tips on what your student should do to maximize their break:  

• Prep for the SAT/ACT. It’s not easy to devote time to test prep during the busy school year, so students can use this time to prepare. Test-taking strategies, timing, and content knowledge are few things your child needs to know before taking the exam. A test prep program with Huntington can make a difference in how your child performs on the exam. The earliest SAT date in 2023 is March 11 and the earliest ACT date is February 11, so kicking off a test prep program over break is good timing.
• Research colleges online. If you have a junior (or a procrastinating senior who is narrowing their college list), have them spend 20 minutes a day browsing colleges’ websites to learn about things like fields of study, location, campus life and admission criteria. If your student has no idea where to start, the College Board has valuable tools to help students find colleges that are a good fit for them. 
• Volunteer. There are many organizations in need over the holidays. If your teen is involved in National Honor Society, which requires community service, now is a good opportunity for them to work toward that requirement. If not, it’s still a wonderful way for your teen to explore interests (e.g., volunteering in a nursing home for a student interested in health care or medicine) and give back—while boosting their college resume.
• Plan ahead for Advanced Placement exams. For students taking AP classes, those AP exams will come up fast (May). It’s not too early for your teen to start looking over any study guides provided by their AP teachers or to contact Huntington about how to prep effectively. Take a trip to the bookstore for a self-study book that your teen can start looking over now. 
• Catch up on school work. If your teen’s first semester report card came out and wasn’t what they hoped, winter break is a good time for them to address any issues and get ahead. Encourage your student to reflect on what went well and not so well this fall. If your teen could use support getting back on track, they can always call Huntington for individualized help. Your student’s high school GPA matters, so make sure they don’t fall behind. 
• Pay attention to college application deadlines. For seniors who didn’t apply early action or early decision, winter break is a good chance to put the finishing touches on those applications, especially any with January 1 deadlines.  

Winter break is a time for your student to relax after a busy fall semester, but it’s also an opportunity for your student to work on some of those college tasks too. Huntington is here to help! Whether your teen wants to focus on getting ahead to get off to a strong start in the spring semester or is eager to get going on SAT/ACT prep, we’re ready to discuss their needs! Call us at 1-800 CAN LEARN for more about our individualized exam prep programs and tutoring programs for college-bound high school students.