Learn to Cook
Learning to cook is probably the most vital practical skill you can spend a week or two working on. The kind of food you eat is important because it can determine how healthy you are for the rest of your life. How? Through force of habit. During college, you probably will feel the pressure to cop-out on preparing your own food from multiple sources. You might study (or party) so much that you have little time left over for cooking your own food. Also, you'll be surrounded by friends who will want to invite you out to eat--if you don't learn to cook, restaurant food may be the only way you can experience decent eating. There's ample reason to look forward to college, but many opportunities exist in the relatively carefree world of a high-schooler. So while your parents still do the grocery shopping for you, treat it as a chance for you to learn one last college-prep skill, a skill that is at least as important as SAT test-taking skill and much, much more satisfying.
