What's the purpose of Naviance?

Hi everyone, my high school recently started pushing us to use Naviance for college planning. How exactly does Naviance work and how can it help me with the college admissions process? Is it worth spending time on?

Hi there! Naviance is a college and career readiness platform that many high schools use to help students plan and organize their college application process. It can be pretty useful if you take advantage of its features effectively. Here are some ways Naviance can help you:

1. College search: Naviance has a comprehensive database of colleges, allowing you to search for schools based on criteria such as location, size, and academics. You can create a list of colleges you're interested in and track your progress throughout the admissions process.

2. Application organization: You can keep track of your application materials, deadlines, and requirements for each school on your list. This can help you stay on top of things and ensure you don't miss any important deadlines.

3. Assessing your chances: One of Naviance's unique features is the "Scattergrams" tool. This allows you to see the admissions outcomes of your high school's previous applicants to a specific college, based on their GPA and standardized test scores. While not a definitive predictor, it can give you an idea of how competitive you might be at a given school.

4. Career exploration: Naviance has tools for exploring careers, taking career-related quizzes, and researching potential career paths based on your interests and strengths.

5. Scholarships: The platform provides access to a database of scholarships, and you can search for awards based on your eligibility and preferences.

6. Communication: Naviance helps you stay connected with your high school counselor and other school staff involved in the college application process. Counselors can send you important updates, and you can request letters of recommendation directly through the platform.

While Naviance is a valuable tool, it's not the only resource out there for college planning. Be sure to also take advantage of resources like CollegeVine, which can provide personalized guidance and help with aspects like essay reviews.