🌟 Discover Your Interests

Understanding what excites you and where your strengths lie is an essential first step in planning for college. By reflecting on your passions, activities, and curiosities, you can identify potential majors, extracurriculars, and career pathways. This page is designed for students of all ages to explore interests at their own pace and use the insights to guide academic decisions and future applications.

✏️ Step 1: Identify What Excites You

Think about what truly engages you. Write down your answers to questions like:

• Which classes do you look forward to the most and why?

• What activities or hobbies make you lose track of time?

• When friends ask for help, what do they usually ask you to do?

• Are there topics you research on your own just because they are interesting?

• What subjects or skills do you feel confident in?

Exploring these questions can help you choose courses that align with your interests, plan your academic path, and select extracurriculars that strengthen your college applications.

🔍 Step 2: Connect Your Interests to Academic Pathways

After identifying your interests, think about how they could translate into majors or fields of study:

• Problem-solving, numbers, or logic can lead to Engineering, Computer Science, Finance, or Data Analytics

• Writing, storytelling, or communication can lead to Journalism, Marketing, Law, Communications, or Public Relations

• Science, experiments, or understanding the natural world can lead to Biology, Environmental Science, Medicine, or Research

• Leadership, organizing, or teaching others can lead to Education, Business, Nonprofits, or Event Planning

• Creativity, art, or hands-on design can lead to Visual Arts, Architecture, Graphic Design, or Media Production

Researching schools with strong programs in these areas helps you build a thoughtful college list and focus on majors that fit your interests.

🌱 Step 3: Learn from Real Stories

Seeing how others have turned their interests into college and career paths can inspire your own journey:

• A student who loved tutoring friends pursued education and mentoring opportunities in college

• Someone obsessed with debate explored law and political science programs

• A student fascinated by coding developed computer science projects and internships before applying to colleges

• Someone who enjoys designing and crafting considered architecture or graphic design majors

These examples show how extracurriculars, projects, and hobbies can become meaningful parts of your college applications and academic story.

📝 Step 4: Reflection Prompts

Answer these prompts to explore your interests and think about your academic path:

1. If money and location did not matter, what would you spend your time doing

2. Who do you admire professionally or academically and what about their work inspires you

3. Which skills or subjects do you want to improve over the next year

4. Do you prefer working independently, in a team, or leading others

5. What problems in your school, community, or world would you like to solve

Your answers can guide you in choosing courses, clubs, and summer programs that align with your strengths and passions.

🚀 Step 5: Take Action

• Join a club, volunteer, or start a small project related to your interests

• Explore majors connected to your favorite subjects

• Keep a “Top Interests” list and update it regularly

• Share your findings with a mentor, teacher, or counselor

Every small step you take to explore your interests can shape your academic decisions and strengthen your college applications. By reflecting, experimenting, and taking action, you build a clear story about your passions, skills, and goals.