Have you had this moment, a student walks into your office, ACT score ready, and asks, “So… what now?”
While ACT scores can be a helpful tool in understanding a student’s academic strengths, they’re just a starting point. After test day, many students need a plan—a way to connect those scores to real choices, like which colleges to explore, what careers to consider, or how to decide if college is even the right path.
That’s where Encourage comes in!
Encourage is a free college and career planning program designed to help students take what they already know (like their ACT scores and interests) and turn it into a real, step-by-step plan. And the best part? If students have a MyACT account, they already have access!
As a counselor, Encourage gives you another way to support your students by helping them see what comes after the scores.
How Encourage Helps Students (and You):
1. It opens their eyes to more options.Encourage matches students with colleges and scholarships that actually make sense for them. It personalizes their results based on their preferences and goals, which can expand their thinking about what’s possible—especially for students who aren’t sure where to begin.
2. It connects interests to real careers.Not every student knows what they want to do. That’s totally normal. Encourage includes a short quiz that links their interests to suggested careers and majors, which can help students start to explore paths that fit what they actually want to do.
3. It breaks the process down into clear steps.Planning for life after high school can feel overwhelming. Encourage takes the pressure off by offering grade-level guidance. Whether they’re a sophomore just starting to think about the future or a senior narrowing down choices, students get personalized guidance to keep them moving forward.
How Can You Use Encourage With Your Students?
- Start the conversation: When students ask what to do with their ACT scores, introduce Encourage as a next step.
- Promote summer exploration: Recommend Encourage as a summer resource to help students plan ahead and return to school with greater confidence and direction.
- Make it part of your toolkit: Use Encourage during college and career workshops, advising appointments, or even classroom presentations.
You don’t have to have all the answers when students ask, “What should I do next?” Encourage makes it easier to support students where they are—whether they’re exploring college, careers, the military, or just trying to figure out their interests.
The next time a student walks in with their ACT score and a big question mark in their eyes, you’ll know exactly where to point them.
