Helpful Resources to Share With High School Graduates

The last few weeks of high school are an exciting time for students. It's a whirlwind of graduation parties and festivities, topped by the graduation ceremony itself. But it can also be overwhelming.

Whatever path a student is considering, college or career, the summer after high school is the perfect time to start planning for the road ahead. I've gathered some resources you can share with students that are fun, easy-to-use and offer guidance for what lies ahead. They're organized by topic.

1. Planning Your Career Path and Major: Although seniors have likely contemplated their major or have a plan for entering the workforce, it never hurts for them to start thinking about a five-year plan. Here are some resources for generating ideas and planning:
   • Career tests like MAPP (there's a free version available online) and this 240-question career quiz from GoodTherapy.org are fun-to-take, and they can provide some ideas for unsure students.
   • BigFuture, an excellent planning resource from College Board, offers an easy-to-use Major and Career Search directory. BigFuture’s customizable college planning tool is another great resource as well.
   • MappingYourFuture is a wonderful resource for career, college, and financial planning. Start with "Get Prepared for Life After High School," which offers advice for high school students of all ages.
   • "Life After High School," by Annie Murphy Paul via TIME  
      
2. Financial Planning and Scholarships: I remember how overwhelming it was when I started researching financial aid, scholarships, and student loans. Each of these resources includes great information about securing financing for college and budgeting:
   • Fastweb offers a wealth of information for students researching how to pay for college. There are resources for finding and applying for scholarships, tons of information about financial aid and student lending, and plenty more. Be sure to check out Fastweb's scholarships for graduating seniors article for financial opportunities.
   • AcceptedToCollege.com offers great resources for financial planning. To get started, check out How to Compare Financial Aid Offers and What Different Types of Aid Mean. Plus, there are dozens of other articles full of useful tips and ideas.
   • "Summer Budget for High School Graduates," from the Pathway to Financial Success blog, offers some practical tips and advice for setting and keeping a budget the summer before college.
   • “The Best Budgeting Calculators for College Students,” by Reyna Gobel via MintLife
   • The National Association of College Admissions Counselors produced these resources for students and parents. This is a great place to start for those considering college, and the page features useful financial-planning resources as well.
      
3. Getting Ready to Live On Your Own: Whether its a dorm or a first apartment, living on your own is certainly one of the biggest changes after high school. Along with the freedom comes a lot more responsibility. Here are some fun resources that can help students prepare:
   • "6 Survival Tips for Life in a College Dorm," by Sean Castillo on the Chegg blog helps uncover myths and realities of living in a dorm.
   • "Countdown to Your First Apartment: 3 Steps to Get Ready," by Alex on MyFirstApartment
   • "30 Things You Need to Know About Dorm Life," by Robyn Tellefsen on CollegeBound
   • "26 Cheap and Easy Ways to Have the Best Dorm Room Ever," by Gabby Noone on Buzzfeed
      
4. Write Your Resume: By senior year, many students have been introduced to resume writing. But once they've graduated, it's an important skill to master. For students entering the workforce and also for incoming freshmen, a well-written resume can open a lot of doors.
   • Adventures in Education offers a ton of great resume writing resourcesdesigned for recent graduates. There are also ideas on preparing for a job interview.
   • StudyPoint produced an article for parents and high school students that features useful strategies for building a resume throughout high school to help with college admission; there's useful information for students preparing to enter the workforce as well.
   • The "Help Wanted: Professional Resume Writing" course from ReadWriteThink can be used by teachers, as well as students. In addition to covering the fundamentals of resume writing, the course offers links to other useful resume writing resources as well.
      
5. Spend Some Time Preparing Mentally for College or a Job: Of course, graduates should enjoy the summer after high school. But it only lasts a short time. They should also remember to spend some time getting ready for the next chapter.
   • "Prepping for College Over the Summer," by McKenzie Nevins on Fastweb, provides some practical planning tips for high school graduates. From financial planning to social prep, this article uncovers a few things every student should do this summer.
   • "A Pre-College Summer To-Do List," by Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman from The New York Times' The Choice blog
   • The "Teaching Ahead" blog archive via Education Week covers the latest in career- and college-readiness. Many different strategies for reaching students are highlighted in this collection of articles.
   • "15 Good Things To Do The Summer Before College," by Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman from U.S. News and World Report