College & Career Counseling
College guidance begins when your child joins our school community. Stillwater Christian’s Student Life Director begins meeting individually with students in junior high school, guiding them and their parents through the college selection process to find the best fit—both academically and spiritually. Throughout these important years of schooling, thoughtful conversations take place about college and career choice, including potential areas of study, financial and geographic considerations, and the best ways to fully develop students’ God-given talents.
Planning Ahead
Stillwater’s College and Career counseling program allows families to work closely with Erin Haven, our Director of Student Life, to develop the best plan for their future graduate.
Resources
- The PSAT is the College Board's preparation exam for the college entrance exam. The PSAT is given to juniors each fall. The PSAT is also the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship. Students scoring high enough on the PSAT can qualify to participate in the National Merit Scholarship program, which involves taking the SAT and completing application materials.
- Score reports for the should be available shortly before Christmas break.
- We also offer the PSAT 9 and PSAT 10 for grades 9-10. The PSAT-9 will be administered in fall of the academic year; the PSAT-10 will be given in the spring of the school year. The hope behind this testing sequence is to condition students for this type of standardized test. Much of the success on the test is being familiar with the test format and vocabulary.
- Kaplan has FREE practice for the PSAT: Kaplan PSAT
ACT & SAT Testing is an important part of College Applications. Unfortunately, there are NO testing sights in the valley. Please see testing dates and sights below.
ACT Testing Dates:
- October 23rd, 2021
- December 11th, 2021
- February 12th, 2022
- April 2nd, 2022
- June 11th, 2022
Testing Site: Missoula Sentinel High School
Center Code: 230930
SAT Testing Dates:
- November 6th, 2021
- December 4th, 2021
- March 12th, 2022
- May 7th, 2022
- Jun 4th, 2022
Testing Site: Missoula Sentinel High School
Center Code: 27170
Scholarships: The following is a list of National Scholarship Searches
Local Scholarship Opportunities:
More Local Scholarships will be released in 2022!
Common App is a non-profit membership organization representing nearly 900 diverse institutions of higher education. It connects applicants and those who support them to a wide array of public and private colleges and universities across all 50 U.S. states, and 20 countries.
FAFSA is now accepting applications for the 2022/23 school year. Apply early to increase your chances of qualifying for the most grant, scholarship, and work-study aid.
Big Future College Search: This website allows you to search for Colleges according to location, major, type, or campus life.
October:
- FAFSA is open! Apply early for aid, scholarships, grants, and work-study.
- Register for ACT & SAT
- Begin Asking teachers for Letters of recommendation
- Contact prospective schools and ask about scholarships and grants
November:
- Have applications turned in to your primary choice and at least two backup schools
December:
- Pick up Scholarship Directory from Mrs. Haven
January:
- Watch for Scholarships to open. Be prepared for Scholarships that require an essay
February:
- Look for local Scholarships and begin to apply. Contact all schools to which you have applied and make sure they have received all your information.
March:
- Make a choice and send a deposit!
- Follow through on completing Scholarship application deadlines.
April:
- Select Housing and Meal plan for school
May:
- Finish Strong in your classes
- Prepare for Graduation
- Attend the Senior Trip!
US Department of Education College Scorecard
FIND THE RIGHT FIT. Find out about colleges: their programs, costs, admissions, results, and more. To learn more, go to: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
This is your ticket to affordable out-of-state college in the West! The WUE is a program coordinated by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Through WUE, students in Western states many enroll in participating two-year and four-year public college programs at a reduced tuition level: up to 150% of the institution’s regular resident tuition. In all cases, WUE tuition is considerably less than nonresident tuition. For answers to many of the commonly asked questions about WUE, visit:
College Board
Yes, this is the site where you sign up for the SAT, but it is so much more! Here, you can compare and contrast colleges, have access to the deadlines for every college, and learn critical information about college cost . Be sure to explore it today!
Reach Higher Montana
Based in Helena, Reach Higher Montana is the public benefit partnership between Student Assistance Foundation and the Montana Higher Education Student Assistance Corporation. The purpose of Reach Higher Montana is to help students strategically pursue educational opportunities. This website is a treasure trove of information for every Montana student. Be sure to check it out!
https://www.reachhighermontana.org/
ApplicationU
Complete ONE application accepted by 75 Christian colleges, for one low fee. No additional application fees are paid to the Christian colleges that you apply to through ApplicationU. ApplicationU makes applying simple. You can save time and money!
Go to: https://applicationu.com/App1.cfm
The Common Application
The Common Application is a great tool if you plan to apply to multiple colleges that take the Common Application.
CONNECT TO MORE: No other system matches the diversity of colleges and universities accessible through the Common App. Explore and apply to schools across the world.
WORK SMARTER: There is no need to repeat your applicant details for every college on your list. Enter your information one time and use it to apply to multiple schools.
STAY ON TRACK: Our system alerts you when important dates are approaching. Manage your deadlines and view application progress in one convenient dashboard.
Go to: https://www.commonapp.org/