With much of the world under a stay-at-home order, you might be wondering what academic things to do during the quarantine. Fortunately, you can keep on top of your work, education, and college plans. Here are three things to keep in mind or work on in the coming weeks:
Write Your College Essays
Part of the college application process is writing essays. Depending on how many schools you’re applying to, this can be a good bit of work. Now is the perfect time to start the planning process and get writing. You can check the applications to see if the colleges have a specific question or topic they’d like you to write about, or you can start brainstorming ideas if they don’t give you any particular direction.
When you’re done, consider giving the essay to someone you trust and ask them read it over. This could be a parent, friend, your guidance counselor, or a teacher. Their feedback should give you direction going forward and also help you weed out any grammatical or spelling errors.
Study for the ACT and SAT
The ACT and SAT are currently either suspended or canceled in the wake of the coronavirus. Many colleges have said that they won’t be required for the fall semester of 2020. However, if you’re working on your applications at the moment, you’re most likely not attending college this fall, so the test may be required next year or even in the spring.
Now is a great time to craft a study schedule for whichever test you will be taking. Download and print practice tests, take them, and review how well you did. This will give you direction on where you need to study going forward. With less distractions, it’s a perfect opportunity to see how well you can do on them.
And one tip: Even if your potential colleges decide they won’t require the ACT or SAT for the year you will be applying, it’s still a good idea to take them if the opportunity arises. They may not be required, but colleges can see the effort and initiative you took. Additionally, some scholarships require certain ACT/SAT scores.
Take Online Classes
Most likely, your high school is currently offering classes online. These are still essential so you should be trying your best on them! If you want to round out your education, feel it’s not enough, or want to explore other opportunities and subjects, there are plenty of resources online.
Khan Academy: Khan Academy has plenty of resources with subjects like chemistry, math, English, computer programming, electrical engineering, grammar, AP assistance, SAT prep, and more.
Coursera: Until the end of May 2020, Coursera will be offering a number of free courses available to anyone. You will also get a free certificate for most of them if you finish the class.
Udemy: Udemy is also offering a number of free courses, with plenty on various skills, personal development, hobbies, subjects, and more. They regularly run deals too, so make sure you check out the other options as well.
Things to Do During the Quarantine
These ideas should give you plenty of ideas on what academic things to do during the quarantine. Just make sure not to burn yourself out either – you want to take time for yourself and relax, too!
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