You go to high school and college primarily to further your education but there is more that you can get out of it than most people realize. While you might think that the different opportunities are different at high school and college they are actually quite similar.

Theater is one way to gain a group of friends that will seem like family in both high school and college. In both, you practice for months or weeks and the cast always seems to be very close afterward. If your school has a theater group, audition for it, you might not get in right away or get what part you want but it is always worth it and a fun experience putting together a show together. If performing isn't really your thing then consider doing things more behind the scenes such as becoming a techie or stage crew. You get to build and move set pieces, adjust lights and sounds and give cues. By the last day of the show, both stage crew and actors are usually close friends and it is such a fun experience whichever one you do.

While this would be a class in high school and a club in college, getting certified in CPR, lifeguarding, or EMT if you are in college, is a great idea. In high school, it can sometimes fulfill gym requirements and in college, you can get real life experience by joining an ambulance crew or working on campus. It also allows you to be certified in saving a life which is an amazing skill that will always be needed. It could also help you get a job as a lifeguard, babysitter, EMT, or whatever you get certified in. It can also help you get other jobs as often managers want people who know this skill as it can help save lives in the workplace, it also looks really great on a resume.

Sports is another great way to make friends and it allows you to make friends from other skills as you see teams time and time again. There are so many sports to choose from, although in college you get a few more such as paintball or fencing which are clubs. Some people don't give sports a try because they aren't competitive in nature or don't like sports because of the high injury rate. If those are your reasons for avoiding sports you might want to give competitive swimming a try. Although it is a competitive sport it doesn't have to be, in a way it kind of depends on your mindset. Yes, you are racing against other people but they usually have about the same time as you, so it isn't extremely difficult competition. You also can literally ignore the competition if you choose and just compete against yourself. You do this by not focusing on the other kids racing or where they are relative to you and simply focusing on your own time. Your goal is to improve your time, not so much to beat the other kids, although that is fun when you do. If you put your focus on improving your personal time it makes the sport less competitive. Swimming also does not have very high injuries from my personal experience. The most common I've seen is muscles being strained from doing a stroke incorrectly but most coaches will catch if you are doing that. Another fun thing about swimming is probably the ribbons and trophies, it kind of motivates you to push harder and train better to get better ribbons and the trophies you get every year make you want to do another season even if you didn't do so well on the last one. I tried most sports in high school and I disliked most of them as I was not very competitive but swimming I just loved and stuck with it for 9 years. In my opinion, if you aren't competitive or are worried about sports injuries, swimming is worth a try.

Classes aren't usually thought of as anything other than education but they can often give you experience and help you form friendships as well. In high school, if you knock your needed classes out of the way you can take classes like math classes that will help you with taxes and checks. Business classes where you can run your school store and get some experiences with sales are also super fun to try. If you enjoy art definitely do some of those as well, knocking out your needed classes allows you to fill your senior year with classes that you are personally interested in. In college meet with your advisor and definitely take classes that will keep you on track for graduating on time but take some that you are interested in or always wanted to try as well.

So, wether you are in high school or college, try to get more involved and get more experience out of your time there. Try theater and get a group of friends as close as family or get the skills needed to save a life wherever you go. Try a sport to meet people from other areas or take classes that you feel will help you later in life or that you find fun. Get more than just an education, get some experience and great memories as well.