Advising for High School Students

As a high school student, you are considered “non-degree seeking” at Barton until you graduate high school.  Non-degree seeking students are not automatically assigned to an advisor but are encouraged to use advising and other student services.  If you have advising questions or plan to complete a degree or certificate with Barton, make sure to reach out so we can put you in touch with an advisor.  Questions?  Please contact [email protected]. 

Please tell us you are a high school student, where you go to high school, and when you plan to graduate so we can give you the most relevant information to your college and career goals.

There is no official limit on how many classes a high school student can or should take, but please be realistic when choosing your classes.  You’re busy!  Carefully think about your time and commitments before enrolling in a college class or classes.  Understand that college classes take time and plan to work on your class for two to three hours per credit hour, per week.

Online classes seem to be easier and less time consuming, but it’s an illusion!  Weekly deadlines still open and close for online classes, and you must still manage your time well.  For face-to-face classes, you see your teacher in a classroom as many as five times per week, and he or she speaks about at least a portion of the content to you during that time. 

In online classes, you are accountable for 100% of the material that you are required to learn—meaning the videos, readings, and all other activities are up to you to complete.  This requires time, energy, and commitment to signing in and completing your work.  Online classes have weekly deadlines, and it’s easy—if you fall behind—to avoid signing in.  This leads to getting even further behind and puts your grade in jeopardy.  Online learning isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay!  Choose classes according to what works for you!

Low or failing grades in college classes affect your overall GPA, which can affect your eligibility for federal financial aid, scholarships, and future college program acceptance.  In short, for the duration of their college career, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA and 67% completion rate of classes.  Enrolling in classes and later withdrawing or failing affects this percentage rate.  Each incoming freshman’s cumulative college GPA is evaluated at the start of his or her freshman year.  For the full Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, refer to the college catalog and student handbook.

Your college academic record begins the moment you enroll in a class, for dual credit or otherwise.  Whether or not you took the class in high school and whether you paid out of pocket, used the Boost Scholarship, or took advantage of Excel in CTE Initiative (SB155), the class is a part of your college academic record.  Some colleges require that you transfer in all or none of your classes from previous college work.  Some colleges do not require that you submit other colleges’ transcripts.  Check with the college where you intend to transfer to see what they expect.

Be honest with your advisor; he or she wants to help you be successful, whether that means retaking a class or pursuing a different class based on your strengths and weaknesses.

Transcript request information can be found on our website.  If you are ordering an official transcript, carefully choose whether you’d like the transcript sent now or after the semester ends.  If you are currently enrolled in classes and send a transcript immediately, the transcript will list the class you are currently taking as “In Progress” and will not list a grade.  The only way to have your current class’s grade on your transcript is to have the transcript sent at the conclusion of the class, after your instructor has officially posted grades.

There are two types of transcripts that you can order from any higher education institution—unofficial and official—and you can save time and money by knowing the difference.

Unofficial transcripts list the courses you’ve taken and the grades you’ve earned.  Unofficial transcripts are typically used for scholarship applications and meetings with advisors to explore the transfer of credits.  Scholarship applications will specifically list whether you need “official” or “unofficial” transcripts for application.  You have access to unofficial transcripts in PAWS (inside your MyBarton Portal).  You can print as many copies of this document as you’d like, and it’s free.

Official transcripts list the courses you’ve taken and the grades you’ve earned.  Official transcripts are tyipcally used for more “official” purposes, like when you need to transfer your courses from Barton to another community college or university.  The “official” reason behind this type of transcript is to authorize the transfer institution to print the college credits you’ve earned with Barton Community College on the transcript of the college where you’re transferring. 

Since these credits go toward the final goal, the degree you’re earning, the document must be official and come directly from the Office of the Registrar.  You will not see this document at any point because it travels directly from institution to institution.

You can—until a certain point in the semester.  The drop dates to exit the class and still receive a refund vary, depending on the length of the class.  Contact the Coordinator of Community Education to learn this date.  It never hurts to double-check! 

The withdrawal date, the last date in the semester on which you can remove yourself from the class and still earn a W grade on your transcript, varies from semester to semester and can be confirmed by checking the Academic Calendars webpage.

You should never assume, under any circumstances, that you have automatically been dropped or withdrawn from a class.  Drops and withdrawals are not done automatically.  The student must take action to drop or withdraw, even if moving schools during the school year. 

Speak to your counselor and work with the Coordinator of Community Education to officially drop or withdraw from a class.

Always, always, always communicate with your instructor with as much advance warning as possible.  Extensions, deadlines, and any other form of exceptions come from your instructor and your instructor alone.  In extreme cases, an Incomplete grade (I) may be given by the instructor. This gives the student more time to finish the class.  The student and teacher must agree upon new deadlines for the coursework and complete a contract.

College staff and faculty cannot speak to anyone unless you, the student, tell us we can.  Regardless of who paid for the class or your age, your academic records are confidential.  You can release your records (including giving permission for us to have phone and email conversations without you) to anyone you wish. 

Fill out the Third Party Release form in your MyBarton Portal.  Simply sign in, select the Student tab, and complete the Third Party Release.  Include as many or as few people as you’d like to have access to your records.

College can be confusing!  We are here to help.  If you would rather not complete the Third Party Release but want your parent’s help, sit down and call us together, draft an email to us and cc them on it, or make an appointment and visit campus together.  Please keep in mind that without that Third Party Release, we are not able to have conversations about your academic records with anyone but the student. 

For more information about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or 1974 (FERPA), visit the FERPA webpage.

Visit our website and browse our Programs of Study.  Use the buttons on this page to request information, visit campus, or apply to Barton.  Contact information for each program is listed on the program pages, or you may contact the Advisement Center via email at [email protected]. 

Please tell us you are a high school student, where you go to high school, and when you plan to graduate so we can give you the most relevant information to your college and career goals.

Visit the Admissions webpage to view important announcements, upcoming events, and the Getting Started checklist. 

To contact our Admissions team and schedule a campus visit, call (620) 792-9286.