ONLINE CLASSES

Colleges and universities, like Johns Hopkins and Wake Forest, offer online classes geared toward high school students, ranging in subject from the creative arts to engineering to political science. And websites, including edX and Catapult, offer a wide array of interesting courses, from how to write political nonfiction to the basics of Python. 

Students can take this opportunity to dive into subjects they wish they knew more about, or even ones that they’re considering studying in college. Not only will your student interact with other teens around the globe, but they'll also have the opportunity to earn college credit.

Start by checking colleges' course listings to see which online courses are open to high schoolers—and don’t forget about your local community colleges! And then take a look at some of these online learning platforms:

• Coursera: Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, specializations, and degrees in various subjects, including engineering, data science, machine learning, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences, and others. Of interest to many students is a new class offered by Johns Hopkins on the coronavirus pandemic and how it can be combated through epidemiology.
• edX: Created initially by MIT and Harvard, edX now hosts classes from more than 140 schools, nonprofit organizations, and corporations. edX classes are delivered in weekly learning sequences.
• Udemy: Students take courses on Udemy largely to improve job-related skills. Some courses even generate credit toward technical certification. As of 2020, there are more than 150,000 courses on the website.
• Udacity: While it originally focused on offering university-style courses, Udacity now focuses more on vocational courses for professionals. They have begun to offer boot camps and certifications specifically geared toward STEM careers.
• Khan Academy: Many students have already used Khan Academy, which delivers content through instructional videos and offers practice exercises and personalized learning. It offers courses in math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Khan Academy has partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content.
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Student can review our listing of more than 100 opportunities for online learning here.

CAREER-RELATED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Don’t forget about informational interviews and targeted internships. Many students are eager to make the most of this change in schedule by diving deeper into potential career interests. While they may require some help—or at least some nudging—from parents, we suggest considering the following opportunities.

• Informational interviews. As students start thinking about what subjects they're interested in, informational interviews can help them decide if an academic area is something they want to pursue—as a major or a career. Talking to trusted adults with knowledge of specific career paths is an excellent way to start thinking about both potential college majors and future career possibilities. Download our guide to informational interviews as well as our guided worksheet to help your student get started.
• Targeted internships. There may still be internship opportunities available during this complex time. Businesses that are struggling financially might be willing to offer an unpaid internship, and your student can use their family and friend network to discover other potential opportunities. Don’t forget to consider internships within a family business. Internships are a wonderful way to develop skills, learn about careers of interest, and get some real-life experience while still in high school. Read our blog post about landing an internship for more ideas on how to navigate the process.

Volunteer opportunities

During this global crisis, it's more important than ever to give back—and it's absolutely possible to volunteer from home. Students could work on fundraising for an organization that is meaningful to them, or they can explore other ways to volunteer virtually using some of these resources.

• Ideas to Act for the Common Good During Coronavirus Crisis
• Helping Partners through Generation Serve
• Tutor Children Virtually With TeensGive
• Peers and Students Taking Action

Whatever your student decides to try this fall, be sure that they're doing something that will motivate them—not drain them. It's been a tough year for everyone, so it's especially important that your student does something they truly enjoy.