As the SAT takes place on Mar. 1, many juniors start to think about college and their upcoming  senior year while this year’s seniors are getting accepted into college and preparing for the future. One thing juniors need to think about at this time is their major, if they plan on going to college. Some common majors are targeted towards health care careers, and business but many also go in undecided. Those who go in undecided can receive support from their guidance in college to see what is the best fit for them. College and Career Specialist, Michele Chamberlin (FAC), is on campus ready to help students with any college related questions.

“As students go through High School they are exposed to different courses, experiences,  and jobs that they might have. It’s all about just finding something that’s a right fit for what you have an interest in, what you have a skill in and then what there is a need for in the economy. You want to have a major that is productive for you later on but you also want to find something you are interested in and that will make you enjoy going to work everyday,” Chamberlain said.

One platform students can use to help with their search is Naviance, which is available for every student on MyPascoConnect. Naviance is full of career and college resources where students can make interest inventories. This can help with self exploration to find what their interests, strengths and weaknesses are. Drea O’ Piazza will be furthering her education at Pasco Hernando State College and later transferring to another university to finish her studies.

“I’ve always loved the weather, the news, and the local community. I’ve always liked volunteering because I love getting to know the community more. So I want to be a news anchor or something like that as it’s an important way to get to know the city around me. I’m in the yearbook and I love communicating with people, and getting to know people. That’s kind of what helped me get a base of wanting to be a news anchor,” O’Piazza said.

Although choosing a major is important for college there is always a chance to change it if it does not fit well and many schools only require an interest in a field when applying. Juniors should focus on practicing for the SAT as most schools consider scores along with the ACT. Katherine O’Ryan is planning to attend Florida State University to study Political Science and will be studying abroad in London for her first semester.

“I had a tutor for the SAT and it was very helpful. She actually gave me a lot of homework for it. Something that also helped me which I don’t think a lot of people talk about is reading books, because you learn how to comprehend things and you learn how to retain things, that’s very helpful. In math there’s always certain tricks that they try to stump you with so if you learn the types of questions and the techniques that you have to use, it is very helpful. Don’t procrastinate. Make sure that you are on top of everything, know the deadlines for each college and know where you’re going to apply. For deciding majors, do research and, go on the college websites and see what they offer and see the courses that they offer, you can always change your major so don’t focus so much on it, just really focus on getting the application in before it’s too late,” O’Ryan said.

If you would like a Tutor for the SAT reach out to guidance to see if anyone is available. Khan Academy can also be used as it links to your college board account to be able to make personalized tests based off of your missed questions on the PSAT. A college night for juniors will be held on Feb. 21 contact Mrs. Chamberlain for more information.