High School

Career Exploration

Strong Interest Inventory® Profile Report, High School Edition

The Strong Interest Inventory® test is an assessment that helps people match their interests with potential educational, career, and leisure activities, using an individual's preferences in a variety of areas to aid them in discovering what they'd most enjoy doing with their work and their free time.

Email your TRIO ETS advisors at schmid22@stolaf.edu or tha@stolaf.edu to get access to your FREE Strong Interest Inventory® Profile Report, High School Edition, which is a value of $100 per test!

How to Choose a Career Based on Interests | The Strong Interest Inventory Assessment

College Planning

College Essay Creation

College Transition

Researching Colleges

Making a Decision

Resume Creation

Study Skills/Test Prep

Study Skills: Study tips for Distance Learning

Limit Your Time on Social Media and Your Cell Phone

Now that we are spending less time in the physical classroom at school it is really important to take the time before a virtual class or the start of working on an assignment or paper to either turn off your phone completely, turn off your phone’s notifications, or at least keep it in a drawer far from your sight. Consider installing AppBlock - Stay Focused (it blocks social media apps when studying). There is no teacher to tell you not to be on your phone so it is up to you to put your phone away from yourself. Every time a notification pops up it will only distract you from finishing or even starting your schoolwork. Tik Tok and Instagram will still be there after doing school work!

Find a Peaceful Spot to Study

We are now spending a majority of our time in our homes so create a study-friendly environment by finding a space inside your home where you can’t hear your other family members if possible. This spot may change day to day with what is going on in your home and with your family but try to keep these things in mind when picking a study spot for the day: How is the lighting? Is it too hot? Are you cold? Is it too comfortable that you may fall asleep? Are the people in the room with you going to distract you? Is there a distracting smell?

Be Engaged, Take Notes, and Listen During Discussions

It is easy during virtual classes over Zoom, Google Meet, etc for our minds wander since we are not physically in a classroom, but a few ways we can stay engaged and focused on the material being taught is to ask questions or engage in class discussions by speaking or uses a chat function in an online class and taking notes throughout the lesson.

Create a Routine

Many of us have much more time than before and we are spending a majority of our time at home now instead of our past routines pre-pandemic, which may give us more time than we had before if we are not in school 7 plus hours a day and involved in clubs, sports, or working as many hours at our jobs. How do we make use of this extra time wisely? By creating a routine! For example, waking up the same day every morning.

Use a Planner to Track Your Homework & Other Tasks

A great way to stay on top of your assignments is by tracking them. You may buy a physical planner or you can also download a study planner from the app store if you don't want to buy one or prefer to keep everything online. Just make sure it is functional for what you are tracking and most importantly you are actually using it! Don’t just list down what is due each day, but also add in the times you are going to study for your quizzes and tests. Always break larger assignments like essays and research papers into smaller tasks to complete in your planner.

Take Breaks

Sitting in the same spot at home and staring at a computer or tablet for 5 hours will put a strain on you! Take a lap around your space or outside and come back refreshed.

Think Positive

Distance learning is new and can be challenging, but one of the best ways you can counteract any negative thoughts you may have is to replace them with positive, actionable ones. Try to avoid negative thoughts and telling yourself negative things like “I’m not good at this” or “I’m going to fail this class.” This can lower your confidence and negatively affect your performance on tests and assignments.

Take advantage of the Technology Available

There are many apps and websites that can serve as helpful tools for taking notes, homework help, and studying. Use the app that works best for you! Here are just a few:

Taking notes: Zoho Notebook, Google Keep, Apple Notes, Simplen, Evernote, Dropbox Paper, Notion, Boostnote, and Standard Notes

High school homework help: Brainly, Google Drive, Duolingo, Photomath, Socratic by Google, HelpMe, Homework Helper, and iMath

Studying for a test: Quizlet, iFormulas, SimpleMind, Brainscape, Anki, Cram, Tinycards, and GoConqr

Test Prep: ACT