The pandemic has gone on much longer than we would have anticipated or hoped, forcing many high school students to change their plans of gaining work experience, pursuing extra-curricular activities, or carrying out in-person community service. The bright side, however, is that many of us are now comfortable using technology to try and achieve those goals, to the best of our ability. Here are some ideas to help you stay productive and strengthen your profile from home –

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1. Utilise platforms such as blogs and websites to share your interests, experiences and give a voice to the causes you believe in. Not only will this help you interact with others who share the same interests, it will also give you a platform to spread awareness, raise funds for charity and exchange perspectives and ideas.
2. Form virtual clubs/ organisations with your friends, family and others that you have a hobby or passion in common with. Meet weekly or as convenient to have talks and debates; plan activities that you can do individually and then discuss in meetings. You can even bring in guest speakers to mix things up! For example – virtual book club, biology club.
3. Use this time to work on a portfolio you might require/ utilise for your college applications. Be it in the field of music, art, design, theatre or anything else you are interested in, this is a great opportunity to devote time to make your portfolio stand out.
4. Take time out to pursue activities that you can practice individually. If you enjoy football, use this time to perfect the skills that you can on your own. You can even take up art, music, or writing – any interest you have that can be pursued solitarily. With the plethora of resources available online today, this an extremely viable option.
5. Find an online course that excites you and pursue it diligently. Websites like Coursera have a vast array of courses which ensure that you will find many options that you find interesting. You can even try to master a new language!
6. Try to find online internships or volunteer virtually. There are many companies and organisations that are looking for interns that can work from home. The organisations will provide you with tasks that can all be completed from the safety of your home. This is a great way to learn new things and expose yourself to different career options, without actually having to take any risk.
7. Read, read read! – With the abundance of online resources available, do not forget to read good books. It is often from books that we gain our most profound learnings. Besides, reading will also help you write strong essays – an extremely important aspect of university applications!
8. Research and Reports – you can use this time to research topics or phenomena you find interesting and make your own reports. Knowing how to write academic reports is a very useful skill for the future as well. This research will keep you productively occupied in your free time.
9. Begin preparing for standardised testing such as the SAT and ACT. You can use books as well as online resources to do so.
10. Maintain a diary in which you pen down your reflections and thoughts – this will help you at the time of writing your college essays and putting together your resume.
11. Help around your home, help local communities – often, we learn the most when we’re not trying to actively chase any goals. Helping out those around you and performing small acts of kindness are extremely important in times like these, and will give you a nuanced understanding of yourself and others. You could teach your house help English, assist your mother in the kitchen, or start a small baking business from home. Experiences such as these go a long way in making your perspective more mature.