How to Utilize Your School’s Resources

Welcome back everyone!

There is a plethora of resources at your fingertips during high school, all at the courtesy of your school. Some of these resources can really help you figure out how to plan for the future/for college, so it’s important to utilize them. Besides, they’re free! I’m going to give you a few of my tips and recommendations for how to take advantage of some of the things available to you at your school. As a disclaimer, I go to a public high school in southern California that is ranked fairly well; different types of schools in different locations may have more or less resources in comparison.

Use websites such as Naviance that you are given an account through your school for – Naviance is a college-planning website that has lots of surveys you can take, search tools for finding your perfect fit school, and a personal profile area where you can build a resume, plus much more! If your school gives you an account, I HIGHLY recommend checking it out. Any other websites or special software programs that your school has you use are great to use at home as well.
Go talk to your guidance counselor and the designated college & career counselor as much as possible – These people are there for a reason; they (should) have knowledge about the college admissions process and everything your high-school self may need help with, so talk to them while they’re there! Getting to know them is great for your personal comfort, but also for furthering your academic career.
Use your student ID for any discounts or benefits available – Being a student can get you discounts at lots of places, with both local stores/restaurants and chains. Also, they usually get you into all of your school’s sports games for free. Keep your ID with you all the time so you can take advantage of these benefits.
Apply for scholarships through your school’s scholarship foundation or through other organizations that your school has partnerships with/promotes – My school has a scholarship foundation as well as a yearly list of local scholarships seniors can apply to. I would recommend applying for as many as you can, and asking your counselor if there is a master list for your area similar to what I described.
Go to school/district sponsored college fairs and/or career fairs – These events are great opportunities to get in touch with different schools/companies in a way that you couldn’t otherwise. It’s super important to go if you can; talk to as many people as possible to soak up all the information.
If your school offers online classes/summer school, take those courses at your discretion – I know some schools/districts/states have free online courses (even higher level ones like APs), so if you need a GPA boost or something to do over the summer, sign up for one! My school district has a similar program but it’s not free, so it’s not as beneficial.
Use the library!! – Between being able to check out books, use the computers, and print papers, there are so many ways you can take advantage of using the library. It’s also just a great place to study and get work done whenever you’re stuck at school but don’t have anything else to do.
Join clubs/programs/sports/electives that interest you – Obviously these programs come with added costs sometimes, but it’s usually a lot less than if you did the same activity outside of school. There are so many ways to get involved at your school and so many classes available, so take advantage and do whatever interests you the most.

I hope this guide gave you an idea of what types of programs and benefits your school may have available for you (maybe even some that you never knew about before!). If you go to a large school like I do, there’s definitely a lot going on and it’s easy for certain opportunities to go unnoticed. As always, I’m happy to answer further questions on this topic or take requests for future content. I’ve been writing and scheduling posts in advance for a little while, but I have to figure out a school-year schedule for blogging once my pre-scheduled posts run out- that will be announced soon.

-Brooke