How to Stay Productive Over Winter Break

There's Plenty You Can Do Over Winter Break to Prepare for College Admissions The holiday season is here, and students are getting a much-needed break from their normal school schedule. While it’s necessary for students to take some time to recharge, many often become restless after a few days and may need some productive ways to pass the time. There are a lot of little things that students can do over the winter break to stay productive and prepare for the college admissions process. From just catching up on reading and college research, to preparing for standardized tests, students can be productive while also enjoying a break from the rigors of everyday high school schoolwork. Here are some tasks that students can do over their break to stay productive and get ready for the college application process. Seniors Finish your regular decision and ED II applications! Get your applications done and materials collected a few days before the deadline. You don’t want to be scrambling hours before your application is due! If you were deferred in the early round, make sure you’re taking the necessary steps to improve your chances in the regular round. Fight off the plague of senioritis! Stay focused and make some academic goals for the new semester. Juniors Catch up on your outside reading! It will keep your brain active, and help you deepen your interests. Remember: Colleges will ask what you read in your free time! Start planning some college visits for the spring semester! Now is a great time to do research and plan for the second half of the school year. Start refining your balanced college list. Some seniors you know may already have admission decisions in hand so talk with them about their college choices and what factored into their decisions. Sophomores Do some outside reading! Explore your interests and pass the time with some great publications that you enjoy. Start your ACT and SAT prep Look at some practice materials so you can become familiar with the test format before diving into heavy test prep in the spring. Freshmen If you haven’t already, start building an outside reading list! Reading will help you explore your interests and will keep exercise your brain while on break. Start planning for the next semester. If you struggled with your grades, make a plan of action to bring them up when school starts back up. Colleges look at all four years of grades, and an upward grade trend can work in your favor if you troubleshoot early on. How do you plan to stay productive over the break? Tell us in the comments below!