You are, or are almost done with school. Soon, you, along with all your friends in high school, will be having fun in the Sun, camping, or generally just enjoying a slower pace of life until school starts up again in September. However, you should be careful not to forget what you learned over this past academic year. If you do, you will start school at a disadvantage and make the next scholastic year even harder than it needs to be.

For all high school students entering grade 11 and 12, this could negatively affect your chances of being admitted to your dream college for your desired major. You do not have to spend eight hours a day studying like you do during the school year. Instead, there are many methods that do not take as much time and will keep the information fresh in your mind. A student coach can help identify the best resources for you based on what you are interested in learning and the most effective studying strategies for you.

Why Summer Studying is Easier (And Quicker)

The main reason why it takes so long to learn something in high school, especially if you find the course boring, is that you have to share the teacher’s attention with 20-30 other high school students. It may take an hour or more to learn a basic concept in a mathematics class. However, if you were to learn it yourself on Khan Academy, it might take you at most, ten minutes. A student coach or tutor can help speed up your learning approach by identifying your learning preferences and then building upon them while fitting them to the subject you need help with or want to improve at.

The summer is known as the time to let loose and have fun but, if you just set aside one to two hours per day to keep up with your previous year’s learning, whether you watch a science documentary, use Khan Academy (they host videos on the Arts, Economics, Sciences, and more!), Codecademy, or even Coursera, you will achieve so much by the time the summer ends. This way, you can still have fun the majority of the time while adequately preparing yourself for the upcoming school year. You may even be able to take AP classes as a result and be able to improve your college applications.

To determine the best studying strategies and subjects for your desired career path, consider contacting a student coach today. They can create a study guide for the summer, allowing you to continue your studies while having fun with your friends and family.

Language Classes

If you have taken at least a semester of language class in high school, you know just how easy it is to lose your grasp on the language if you do not use it. It does not matter if you speak a foreign language with no similarities to English, like Russian, or one that is as close as can be, like German.

Luckily, there is no need to fear. Many great online resources exist that can be downloaded to your phone, allowing you to review and increase your learning in your language of choice. For basic language students, Duolingo and Memrise are a great combination. You can also purchase a 100% audio language course, like Pimsleur, or use a free, but dated, program like FSI from the US State Department’s Foreign Language Institute.

However, the quickest way to learn a foreign language is to start speaking it, no matter how slow you are at first. If you have a friend that speaks the language, you should consider meeting with them once a week on Skype and speaking in their native language. Then, over the week, simply review your vocabulary and grammar, learn some more words, watch a dubbed film, or read a national newspaper in your target language. Your language skills will improve quickly, giving you a huge advantage when you return to school in the fall.

Maths and Sciences

Maths and Sciences are simple to self-study because they are logical. Unlike in the Humanities and Arts, maths and sciences are not open to interpretation or subjectivity, unless you are covering advanced theoretical material. Khan Academy is a great resource to learn math and science. Other great resources include edX, Brilliant, and Expii.

If you do not like interactive study materials, you can always watch recorded lectures from great institutions like Harvard, Yale, and MIT on YouTube. Although the lectures are at the college-level, you can always stop and re-watch sections you find difficult as you work through the material. If those students can do it, you can too! Contact a student coach to help devise an effective study plan today.

Humanities and the Arts

The Humanities and the Arts can also be learned quite easily over the summer. If you are staying in the city, you can always spend one day in the library reading up on topics that interest you, visit the zoo, visit the museum, and more. You can even enrol in art classes at the local community college or community center if you wish. These are great inexpensive options for you to explore different subjects as well as continue your education in the Humanities and the Arts.

Online, there are many great resources you should take advantage of. CrashCourse on YouTube can help you learn the basic of a wide variety of subjects. The TED and TEDx YouTube channels are also good resources to help you challenge your perspective on things. Simply search for what you want to learn.

Depending on the Humanities and Arts you are interested in, a student coach can help find the best study strategies for you over the summer.

In Conclusion

Where there is a will, there is a way. If you want to continue your studies over the summer, which will make your college application more attractive to the college of your dreams, there are resources both online and in the real world that can help you. In only a few minutes a day, you can learn something new. Imagine how much you will improve if you spend an hour or two a day on scholastic self-improvement over two months.

Contact a student coach today to develop a solid plan to continue your studies over the summer.

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