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Practical guide

College involvement

Use what you already do to choose college opportunities that fit your time and interests.

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Start here

Choose what
fits your week.

Before you say yes to a campus role, check where it fits around classes, work, travel and everything else in your week. Ask what the task involves, who can help and whether you can try it for a short time. You could help prepare a meeting, check an event detail or welcome new members with someone experienced. Start with a task you can finish, then decide whether you want to take on more.

Setting
High school / Campus
Useful when
Starting out
Resource type
Practical guide

Try it out

Put it
to work.

1 / Choose a first contribution

Try this next

  1. List what your week already involves and find a block of time you can reliably give.
  2. Ask a group about one small task, its deadline and the person supporting it.
  3. Agree when you'll first check in and when you'll decide whether the role still fits.
Talk it through
  • What time can you count on having, even during a busy week?
  • What would someone be able to use when your first task is finished?
  • Who could show you how the task works before you take responsibility?

2 / Find a contribution that fits

Start with the time and responsibilities you already have: classes, homework, family, travel and paid work. A first school task could be preparing materials, helping a new student or checking part of a club plan. Ask how long it takes and who can show you what to do. Pick something you can finish. After you've tried it, decide whether to keep going, change the task or make room for another priority.

Try this next

  1. Map a normal school week, including travel and responsibilities outside lessons.
  2. Ask a club member or staff supporter about one task with a clear end point.
  3. Agree how much time you'll give, who can help and when you'll talk about how it went.
Talk it through
  • What do you already do reliably at school, at home or elsewhere?
  • Which small task could fit without crowding out an important commitment?
  • What would you need to know before agreeing to help?

Choose one next step.

Pick one thing you can try. Check any requirements with the people responsible before you act.

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