What comes next after high school? Whether you’re just starting your James Madison journey or you’re wrapping up your last few classes, deciding what to do after graduation can feel stressful. Besides having to decide what you want to do for a career and where you want to go for college, understanding how to apply to the schools you’re interested in with an online high school diploma seems complicated. It doesn’t have to! Here’s what you should know about applying to colleges after your James Madison graduation.

Curious about online high school? Have some questions about the experience, how to transfer in, and what comes after? Begin the path of owning your education and discover the answers for yourself in JMHS’s Ultimate High School Guide for Teens. You’ll learn everything about your online high school from a typical JMHS schedule to making friends in online high school, and more!

Life leads us all down very different paths, and sometimes that means some of us have had to leave high school before it’s finished. And that’s okay! Dropping out of high school may have been the right choice for you or a loved one at one point in time, but that doesn’t have to be the end of your educational journey. You may not have even realized it, but it is definitely possible to get a high school diploma after 21. Learners ready to take on the challenge do it all the time, and you can, too! But you may even be wondering, “is going back to school worth it?” We broke down your options for you so that you can make an informed, educated decision for your own education.

Earning your high school diploma can help you prepare for opportunities in the workforce, the military, or college and training programs. Whether you’re a traditional student or an adult learner, online high school could be the best fit for you to reach your goals. Besides being self-paced, allowing you to study when and where you want, James Madison’s online high school diploma program offers several tracks to choose from so you can focus on getting the education you need to start preparing for life after high school. But which diploma option should you choose? What’s the difference between them? Here’s everything you need to know to help you figure out the right fit for you.

Deciding which high school electives you should take involves knowing what your school offers, what your goals are after high school, and how rigorous you want your courses to be. Electives may seem less important than your core classes, but depending on what you want to do after high school, they can help prepare you for your next move. Here’s why electives are important and how to decide which classes are right for you.