I think we can all agree - 2020 has been a rough year. You’ve got fires in California, hurricanes in Louisiana, reports of murder hornets, oh and also of course, the pandemic. Many of you are stuck at home arguing with your parents, missing your friends, and barely listening during Zoom classes. But what if I told you there is a huge silver lining in all of this? What if we could turn 2020 into a year of opportunities instead of tragedies? Here are 3 key ways on how to get the most out of virtual learning in the safety of your home.
1. Your Time Becomes Limitless
How many times have you wished you had just a few more hours in each day so that you could finally get around to applying for that internship or learning how to play the piano? Coronavirus has granted you that wish. Instead of walking 30 minutes to school in the morning, eating gross cafeteria food at lunch, or driving to after school activities, you can now access everything with your laptop. That means you could save anywhere between 2-4 hours each day!
Put that time into something productive. Here are some ideas for you:
Do an extra practice test for the SAT each week
Become Youtube famous
Find a part-time job and start saving for college
Finally finish that book you’ve been staring at for a whole year
Discover your passion for art, coding, or history
Whatever you do, don’t waste the extra hours you’ve earned on Netflix or TikTok!
2. Soak in the Information
Another huge pro of online classes is the ability to truly learn for the sake of learning, rather than just to get a good grade. Have you ever been in a class where the teacher talks at 50 miles per hour and all you can focus on is scribbling as many words as you can on your notebook? Yeah, me too. Thankfully, many teachers now are transitioning to recording their lectures and posting them after class, giving you the unique opportunity to go back and relearn what you’ve forgotten or missed.
Find which subject you are most passionate about and rewatch some lectures with your free time. I guarantee you will hear new information that you would’ve missed otherwise.
3. Help the World Around You
Lastly, I know a lot of you are very passionate about community service, public health, politics, and changing the world. Well, the world needs you right now more than ever. Without the distractions of being in school all the time, you can focus your energy on finding ways that you can improve the lives that are suffering right now. Creating a project like this not only will look great on college applications, but will also positively impact those around you. Here are a few example projects:
Code a COVID-19 tracker for your area
Start a business selling masks or other items and donate the profits to a COVID relief organization
Build community during this time by connecting your neighbors to one another and host events like an online movie night
Hold workshops for kids looking to learn piano, math, or reading
Check out this video of 4 high school students at 7EDU explaining a project they created in response to COVID-19. This is just one of many ways on how to get the most out of virtual learning.
It may feel like this whole year is a mess sometimes, but there are always ways to take advantage of your situation and turn it into an opportunity. Whether you are looking for new classes to take or a college counselor to advise you on how to make the most of this year, 7EDU is here to help you through this time. Please contact us at (408) 216-9109 or info@7edu.org to learn more.
