By Kailyn Huynh
While most log onto the College Board website to access their AP Classroom features, many are unaware of the other tools available on this website.
For instance, through their BigFuture planning program, the College Board offers unique items to aid students in planning and paying for college, finding resources and scholarships, exploring possible careers and much more.
Let’s explore some of the tools that are available to you.
To access this program, first log onto the College Board website. From there, select the drop-down menu in the top left-hand corner and click on the BigFuture section, indicated in dark blue.
After selecting this option, you will immediately see three quizzes available to you: a career, college and scholarship quiz.
Taking a look at each quiz will prompt you to various questions regarding the topic. For example, the career quiz will describe different activities — such as developing new medicines, building kitchen cabinets or playing a musical instrument — and ask how you would feel accomplishing the different tasks.
Once completed, a chart revealing your interest areas will be shown
In addition, you are provided with an option to explore career matches. This allows you to dive further into your career planning by providing personalized recommendations based on your quiz results.
Each career option shown will also contain all the information surrounding the job.
Here is where BigFuture’s most notable feature shines.
Through a preexisting CollegeBoard account, BigFuture can keep track of any planning you’ve done or anything you’ve taken an interest in.
Simply add it to your list to research more about it or save it as a reference for later on. Once added, it will stay on your personal dashboard containing all your information.
The same results are true for their college quiz and scholarship quiz. Complete the quizzes and you will be given personalized options and opportunities alongside an abundance of details surrounding each choice.
While these quizzes encompass a great deal of the types of materials BigFuture has to offer, there are still so many other resources that they provide for students.
This includes…
- College and career preparation checklists for each grade level
- Information about majors
- Ways to pay for college
- And so much more!
Whether you’ve already planned what you want to do for the next 20 years, or if you are completely unsure of where to go, it’s a worthwhile investment to take a look into CollegeBoard’s BigFuture program.
They have so many useful tools and valuable information which is provided to students, free of cost. If you have questions or curiosities about what’s to come in the following years, BigFuture will likely be able to help you and answer your worries.
Explore, have fun learning and maybe even feel more at ease about the future.
