Erik Erikson outlines 8 distinct stages from birth to death in his theory of development. Stages 5 and 6, the issues of identity vs. role confusion and intimacy vs. isolation, may be the most difficult stages because of their impact on the rest of one's life. One of the main focuses of high school is working on cognitive development, but it is also a time when physical and social development are important. With all this happening, students are also expected to think about and plan their post-secondary activities.
For me, my experiences out of school shaped my furture as much as my experiences in school did. Discovering programming and web development out of school during my early years of high school fueled my passion for technology that continues to this day. So when I didn't initially know what I wanted to do when choosing universities, I chose programs that were related to my interests.