Visit with your counselor about these topics:

• Career interests
• Finding a career that leverages your skills and talents
• Grade point average
• Volunteer opportunities
• Improving your grades
• Applying for college
• Types of education after high school
• Other options after high school
• Local scholarships, and more.

Your GPA determines where you start your climb. If you have a low GPA score, you start at the bottom of the mountain; an average GPA will land you halfway up; and a high GPA will land you close to the summit. How much effort you put into your classes and grades will determine the amount of work it will take to reach the opportunities you want. Your level of effort is completely up to you and within your control.

We often hear from college students and adults what they could have done differently to impact their lives. A common response we hear is the wish that they put more time and effort into high school, which would have likely resulted in a better grade point average.

If you need to improve your high school GPA, visit with a counselor or teacher to create a strategy to do so. They will work with you on strategies to improve your study habits and your grades. They will be thrilled you came to them and asked for help - it's a positive step, and shows that you care about your work. 

The major difference between the two is how they are scored, and inclusion or omission of science testing. For the ACT, students earn a score between 1 and 36, whereas, with the SAT, students earn a score between 400 and 1600. The ACT has a section dedicated to science; the SAT does not. The SAT does not exclude science - there are science-based questions that appear in reading, writing and math sections and not a dedicated section to understanding scientific data, graphs, and hypotheses.

ACT and SAT requirements vary across Montana and are relative to the type of school you're going to attend. If you are interested in a Montana public college or university, visit the Montana University System's admission requirements page. It will break down what is required for four-year and two-year programs. If you're interested in a private college or university, check with the institution to determine admission requirements. They'll walk you through everything you need to know.

Why? Students who take rigorous course work are more likely to meet or exceed college readiness benchmarks, and are better prepared to succeed in their college courses. Students who meet an ACT College Readiness Benchmark (by subject area) have a 50% chance of earning a B or better and approximately a 75% chance of earning a C or better in the corresponding college course(s). Further, students who take dual/concurrent enrollment courses or Advanced Placement classes are more prepared for the academic challenges of college. SOURCE: Prepare Yourself to Finish…the Montana ACT Council Recommends Core or More.

Concentrating your career and technical education classes in one area (Health Science, Business Education, Industrial Technology, Agriculture Education, Family and Consumer Sciences) can help you sequence your courses if you are interested in one particular field. That said, career and technical education courses offer a rich environment to explore your options. If you aren’t sure which area interests you most, there’s no harm taking courses in several career and technical education areas.

In high school, start using an agenda to manage deadlines and prioritize projects. You can use a classic spiral bound agenda book or a digital app like Todoist, which allows you to prioritize items, assign due dates, and work from a calendar. Find and use a time management tool that meets your needs.

There is a difference between time management in high school and time management in college. In high school, teachers will assign projects and tests as the semester progresses. In college, professors will give you a syllabus with all of the due dates and test dates at the beginning of the semester and it is your responsibility to complete and submit assignments on time. If you are in an apprenticeship or internship, your supervisor will assign projects to you and it is expected to be completed by the due date. Miss deadlines and your position could be in jeopardy.

How to ask someone to be your mentor. It's much easier than you think! Being asked to mentor someone is an honor and compliments the character of that individual; we're willing to bet they'll say "yes." If you have someone in mind who you respect, ask them if they have time to visit with you about planning for your future. Find agreement on the time commitment – how frequently would you like to meet and for how long, as well as the timeframe you're seeking their help. Topics you may want to talk about are: how they found their career path, how they picked their area of study, or what would they do differently if they had the chance to start over. Mentoring is a great way to receive one-on-one coaching from someone who has been there, and wants to support you on your path to the future.

• Reach Higher Montana Summit for Youth in Foster Care provides an on-campus experience for high-school youth who have experienced life in Montana’s foster care system.
• GEAR UP is a federally-funded program serving students in 7^th-12^th grade in 18 middle schools and their receiving high schools to improve high school graduation and college enrollment rates.
• TRIO Programs are federally funded programs to help students overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to higher education. Programs include Educational Talent Search (middle and high school students), Educational Opportunity Centers (adult learners), Upward Bound Math and Science (high school students), Veterans Upward Bound (serving veterans pursuing college), Student Support Services (serving college students with personal, career, and academic counseling), and McNair Scholars (preparing college students for doctoral studies).
• Jobs for Montana’s Graduates (JMG) assists students to stay in school, graduate, and successfully transition into employment, college, apprenticeship, or the military.

• Scholarships
  Some scholarships require volunteer hours, and your time spent giving back to the community can provide the perfect story for a scholarship essay. Volunteering can set you apart from the competition – giving you an edge when it comes to earning free money for school.
• College Applications
  Colleges want well-rounded students who excel in and out of the classroom. One way to enhance your college application, especially if your grades are average, is to detail your volunteer hours. Demonstrate that with your smarts, comes a big heart!
• Resume
  Your resume comprises your education and work history. Include your volunteer experience on your resume to help demonstrate the knowledge and skills you’ve gained through your experience. The organizations you served can also be used as employment references – just make sure you ask first!

Finding volunteer opportunities. Now that you’re interested in giving back because you’ll gain so much in return, volunteer opportunities are easy to find! Check with your school counselor regarding local volunteer opportunities as well as what school-related clubs you could join. Join clubs like 4-H, National Honors Society, Business Professionals of America (BPA) - they have lots of volunteer opportunities! VolunteerMatch.org is a great way to search for local and national opportunities. Also, try a Google search for where you live or search for non-profits in your community and approach them about volunteering. You could help walk dogs at your local animal shelter or take meals to the elderly. There are tons of opportunities out there for you!

High school internships - yes, they exist! Internships are a great way to gain real-world experience and businesses are realizing that building relationships with high school students can help them grow their workforce.

Some internships are paid, and some are not. The biggest advantages of internships are exposure to careers, learning new things, and listing the experience on your resume and college application.

Where can I find more information on how apprenticeships work? Start by visiting the Montana apprenticeship program through the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

Apprenticeship Quick Facts

• Hundreds of Montanans graduate from apprenticeship training each year, many of them earning over $40,000 annually while in training. The average wage after completion of an apprenticeship program is over $60,000 per year.
• Employers have in-demand jobs that need to be filled, so they offer on-the-job training for workers.
• Workers earn while they learn and experience zero to little debt.
• Apprenticeships are a combination of classroom and workplace training. Many apprentices also obtain college degrees and certificates as part of their program. 
• Career examples: electrician, auto mechanic, hospital coder, utility technician, construction and more! Apprenticeships are available for occupations outside of the trades, too - like accounting technicians.

Reserve Officers' Training Corps, or ROTC, is another option for students to consider. ROTC is a program of study taken in addition to regular college courses. The program includes leadership, management, and professional knowledge classes as well as "hands-on" experiences. Students make a commitment to the military and in return, they earn scholarships that cover the cost of college attendance. For more information about ROTC options in Montana.

College Fairs

• Each fall, MontanaColleges.com hosts college fairs in high schools across Montana. This is a fantastic opportunity to visit with colleges in Montana (and beyond) in one place.

Schedule a Tour

• What a better way to get a feel for a campus than to tour it. Campuses offer group and individual tours all year round so that students can get a personal feel to see if the college is the right fit for them. Tours are led by students, for students, so you can ask them real questions and get honest answers. What’s dorm life like? Did you get homesick? Are professors easy to talk to?
• Many tours occur during spring and summer. If you have a road trip coming up, consider including a campus tour. Even if you don’t think the college is the right fit, tour it anyway. This is the best process to discover what you like and don’t like about campuses.

• High school transcript - Colleges like to see both the unofficial transcript, which is the record of grades up to your junior year, as well as an official transcript following high school graduation. The unofficial transcript is sent in conjunction with the college application and the official transcript is sent at a later date.
• ACT/SAT scores - Colleges may ask for a self-reported score or results may be sent to the school directly from the testing organization. When you take your test, you will have the option to list the schools you’d like to receive your test scores.

Possible Additional Requirements:

• Letters of reference are typically from individuals you have worked with in and outside of school. References could be an educator, a counselor, an employer, or someone you help through volunteering. This is why volunteering matters!
• Essays - Schools may require an essay pertaining to why you want to attend their college or why they should choose you for admission. Include in your essay your academic strengths and achievements, athletic participation, time management skills, character strength, volunteer hours, or something you’re passionate about. You may also be able to use these same essays to apply for scholarships and grants.