Easier College Searches for WHS Students

students will not have to hop all over the Internet searching for colleges anymore. 

More than 100 students and parents attended an information session Sept. 1 about Naviance. It is one-stop college shopping software free to all ninth through 12th graders.

Several juniors who decided to attend the session stood outside WHS’s audion doors before the session began.

Cynthia Duplat, of Blue Bell, an 11^th grader, heard the software has a lot of information about colleges.  She would like to study design and art.

“I want to start thinking about colleges,” she said.

Jacob Fischer is interested in veterinary sciences. The junior started browsing schools but said, “it’s time to get serious about college.”

Cody Franks, also a junior, said, “My future’s important to me and I want to start the college search process.”

WHS college career counselor Chris Plentus explained the software helps target schools for students.

“It gives them a better idea if they can get into a school,” he said.

Naviance’s most unique feature is that college acceptance data from WHS’s 2010 and 2011 graduates that can be plugged into a grid, a “Scattergram.”  It shows college test scores and grade point averages (GPAs) of previous students and how they fared applying to a specific school.

College test scores, such as SATs and ACTs, for current students are added to their Naviance accounts. When they view a Scattergram, they will see how many WHS graduates were accepted, wait listed or denied entrance to a specific college. 

“Overlaps” also pop up, said Plentus, showing what other schools students applied to besides the one targeted in a Scattergram.

Plentus cautioned students not to take themselves out of the running if they are set on applying to a certain school and see their scores do not quite match up. 

He said, “A college may be looking for a great water polo player, and you may be one. If so, you may be accepted, despite the Scattergram,” he said.

Other data uploaded to personal accounts includes: GPA—weighted and unweighted, personal interests, what students “would like to do with their lives,” and activities in which they have participated.

Plentus told students completing a senior questionnaire is mandatory to receive a guidance counselor’s recommendation letter. He explained this information would help counselors write well-rounded recommendations.

Thus, students worried their new guidance counselor does not know them, can rest easy. Naviance supplies the counselor with needed information for recommendations. 

Plentus said 50 percent of students enter college undecided on their majors.  Naviance offers students a tool others pay a pretty penny for to career counselors, to find jobs that suit them.

Students may take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a personality test. Afterward, the software lists careers of others with the same personality.

When a student determines what he or she would like to study, Naviance, has a search engine like Princeton Review, that lists schools based on major, region, size and other characteristics.

At this point, the Scattergram can be helpful in determining if a school being considered is hopeful or a long shot.

It will be easier to meet with college representatives that visit WHS because of Naviance. A student may check colleges in which he or she is interested. When a representative is scheduled to visit, a student may make an appointment and receive a reminder for it on Naviance.  Plentus said more than 100 college representatives visit WHS annually.

The software also provides scholarship lists and summer enrichment courses, said Plentus. 

Students and parents can sign into a Naviance account and discuss college options they have perused.

Patty Fleetwood and her ninth-grade daughter, Allison Klenk, of Blue Bell, like what Naviance offers. Allison likes the organization of the software. Fleetwood thinks it will be fun investigating schools and talking about them together.

Chris Shea, of Lower Gwynedd, echoed Allison’s thoughts.

“It is fascinating that I can keep all this information in one place," Shea said.

Shea’s ninth-grade son visits a lot of colleges while playing sports and is getting ideas about sizes of colleges. She said the software will “save a lot of time in searching and help focus on schools that would be best for him.”

Franks said the software “opened new possibilities of seeing how I measure up,” when considering specific colleges.

John Fadel, of Blue Bell, a junior, would like to study engineering and law possibly. Using Naviance, he said he will be able to “pinpoint” himself with his college test scores and GPA to see if he might be accepted at Villanova.

Fischer said, “I’m glad I came. I can really get started and have the tools I need.”

Students and parents interested in Naviance may email Plentus at cplentus@wsdweb.org.