Career and College Advisor Notes for December 2025

Hello Students & Families:

It’s the last month of 2025! Let’s finish December strong and go into the new year feeling confident and prepared for what lies ahead in 2026 and beyond. Remember: the end of first semester is January 16, just two weeks after we return from winter break.

HSBP, Financial Aid, and FAFSA/WASFA

This month (Dec. 8) the High School and Beyond Plan lessons in Advisory will be related to financial aid – most of this year’s seniors have already been hard at work on their FAFSA/WASFA applications, and now their colleagues in grades 7-11 will be getting an overview/preview of the financial aid process.

For this year’s seniors, the 2026-27 FAFSA (or WASFA) is the key to accessing most federal and state grant and scholarship funding, so please let me know if your family could use some assistance completing the application. In Washington state, the FAFSA/WASFA is used to determine eligibility for the Washington College Grant and the College Bound Scholarship – all you need to do is fill out the FAFSA or WASFA, and all Washington colleges/universities/training programs will process your data and let you know how much you’re qualified to receive from state and federal grant & scholarship programs.

Our district’s seniors are making good progress on FAFSA completion overall – check out our stats on the WA FAFSA Completion Dashboard. But we still have a little more to do. Our goal is for all seniors to complete a financial aid application so every member of the Class of 2026 has the ability to receive the financial support they need to pursue post-high school education or training. It’s all about keeping your options open!

Scholarships

Seniors, please start checking the Scholarships 2026 Google Classroom regularly for new scholarship opportunities and updates to deadlines, etc. There are only a couple listings posted so far, but many more will be coming in the new year. (Note: students must access Google Classroom with their methow.org credentials in order to see the full scholarship descriptions and applications; guardians are not able to log in to the Classroom site but will receive a weekly email summary of scholarship listings.)

Remember – scholarships are available for ANY post-high school education or training you’re planning to do, including apprenticeships, 2- or 4-year colleges and universities, and technical programs (both college-based and industry-sponsored training).

A Few Important Scholarship Opportunities

Leadership 1000 Scholarship - Application Due January 30

Seniors, if you're considering attending a 2- or 4-year college or university in Washington state and meet the income eligibility guidelines, apply for the Leadership 1000 scholarship. The award is $5,000 per year and it's renewable for 4 years ($20,000 total). The application does include several short essays, but all students who meet the income criteria are encouraged to apply—it's worth your effort!

Montana State University Presidential & WUE Scholarships - Applications Due December 5 & January 8

The Presidential Scholarship is offered through MSU’s Honors College, and is the highest value award at Montana State University, including a full tuition waiver and a generous housing stipend. The Presidential Scholarship application is open, and is due on December 5, 2025 for the 2026-2027 academic year.

MSU will be offering a very limited number of Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) scholarships to new freshmen enrolling in the fall of 2026. The WUE application is open, and instructions to apply can be found on MSU’s Nonresident Scholarships page. The deadline for WUE scholarship consideration is January 8, 2026. Due to the high value of WUE and the volume of applications, the scholarship is limited and extremely competitive. Students are encouraged to apply early and to complete the application carefully. Students will be notified in mid-February if they have been awarded WUE.

For information about accessing WUE scholarships at other colleges and universities in Western states, check out the WUE Savings Finder. A list of all participating WUE schools is attached to this message.

That’s all for now. See me with questions or if you’d like to set up a time to talk about what’s next after high school – and please let me know if you could use support in filling out the FAFSA or other applications!

With gratitude,

Beth/Ms. Anderson

College and Career Advisor

Methow Valley School District

banderson@methow.org

509.996.2215, x4175

​College and Career Advisor webpage​

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About the College and Career Counseling Program

The goal of our College and Career Counseling program is to provide students and their families with the information and resources necessary for them to make well-informed choices about their post-secondary education. Liberty Bell recognizes the diversity in our families and understands that what might be right for one student may not be a good fit for another.

Therefore, we work individually with students and their families to help them successfully develop and achieve their post-graduation goals – whether that is applying to a 4-year, 2-year or technical college, designing a productive Gap Year plan or entering the military or workforce. Some of the specific services that we offer include:

  • Educating students and parents about the post-secondary educational choices available to them.
  • Meeting individually with juniors, seniors and parents to help them with their college lists, the application process, college essays and financial aid needs, including the FAFSA, the Profile and College Bound Scholarship, as well as with SAT prep and registration.
  • Holding financial aid information evenings for students and parents to make sure that they have all the resources and support they need to reach their goals.
  • Working with the school counselor to ensure that 9th and 10th graders take the necessary classes to be eligible for college admissions.

Applying to college should be a fun and exciting process; but at times it can be a bit overwhelming. If you find yourself feeling stuck, or if you have questions about any part of the application process, contact our office at (509) 996-2215.