Whitefish High School senior Molly

Schmidt knew her ACT score was important, but heading into her

first attempt at taking the test she did little preparation

work.

Schmidt, 17, did some studying the

night before, but she was reassured knowing that she could take the

test a second time if her score wasn’t what she wanted.

There was almost no reason for her to

consider that second chance at the test once she received her

results.

Schmidt earned a perfect score of

36.

“I thought I did good, but I didn’t

think I did that good,” she said. “I just took a look at the kinds

of questions on the test the night before.”

The ACT is a national college

admissions test that covers English, math science and reading. The

composite score is an average of the four tests and is scored on a

scale of one to 36.

The number of students who earn a

perfect score varies each year. Among the class of 2011, only 704

of the more than 1.6 million students earned a score of 36.

Schmidt may have only briefly prepared

for her ACT test, but she has been working toward the test and her

future for sometime now.

“It’s from doing really well in

school,” she said of the score. “And being serious about my

education.”

She is the daughter of Carl and Annette

Schmidt.

Schmidt is set to graduate from

Flathead Valley Community College with an associate’s degree in

May, just weeks before she will graduate from high school in

June.

The Running Start program has allowed

her to earn college classes while still attending high school.

She also works part-time as an office

assistant at the DePratu car dealership.

It’s a busy schedule that has at times

had her studying late into the night, but Schmidt doesn’t mind.

Last year she was taking two to three college classes at one

time.

“I wanted to get away from high school

and challenge myself,” she said. “I wanted to see what was out

there that I might like.”

Through her college classes, Schmidt

found an interest in the brain and nervous system.

While taking one class at FVCC, Schmidt

was coming home ready to share the facts she had learned. One

favorite: the brain will melt if it’s outside the protective fluid

that is inside the skull.

“It made me really excited about

neuroscience,” she said. “I’m interested in a research career for

diseases like Parkinson’s. I like learning about the connections

the brain makes that we wouldn’t usually think about. I like

knowing what’s working behind the scenes.”

Schmidt has been accepted to the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston starting in

September and plans to major in brain and cognitive sciences.

Schmidt does have interests outside

schoolwork. She enjoys playing with the family dogs and playing

video games. She also was a classical ballet dancer up to ninth

grade.

“Ballet taught me to give everything my

best efforts,” she said. “I’m a perfectionist — I’m not sure if

that’s because of ballet or the other way around. At one point I

thought about being a professional ballerina, but if I was still

dancing I wouldn’t be taking Running Start classes.”