New program helps Alvirne seniors with college applications

Published: Sunday, October 25, 2009

The college application process can be stressful for any high school senior, but even more so when a new way to apply is unleashed in the school.

Alvirne High School has adopted a new college application program called Naviance, an innovative tool that allows everything to be sent from the high school to colleges electronically, including applications, supplements, fees, letters of recommendation and transcripts. It also allows students to track what has been sent by guidance and to where.

While the guidance counselors at Alvirne are excited about this revolutionary program, it was met with some apprehension by the students, unsure of how the newness of the program would affect them.

Morgan Ratte, a senior juggling varsity soccer, Advanced Placement classes and a part-time job, is dealing with the stress of applying to four out of five of her schools early.

“It can definitely be a little stressful,” she said of the Naviance program, “because you really have to put all your trust into the technology and hope that everything is going where it needs to be.”

On the positive side, she agrees with the guidance department that “less paperwork does make the process somewhat easier.”

And this is definitely true. With everything being submitted electronically, the guidance department doesn’t have the worry of keeping track of all the paperwork that comes with applying to college. All of the information is kept in one convenient location – their computers.

Naviance has made the process easier on teachers, too, who can now just upload their letters of recommendation into the proper forms and e-mail them straight to guidance. No handwriting necessary.

Senior Ben Naglieri seems to have the college process all figured out. Having already been accepted to Tarleton State University in Texas, he says, “It’s a huge burden lifted off my shoulders knowing that I’m all set to go where I want to.”

Naglieri, having the stress of applying behind him, is full of optimism about the new program.

“It’s a huge step forward,” he said. “It’s really streamlined the process of getting information to and from the counselors, and though it may still be in a trial phase right now, it will definitely be the way to go a few years down the road.”

It’s definitely exciting for Alvirne to be able to make use of this new program and to really bring the technological 21st century into the school. And, as for getting students into college, they have one down and many more to go.

Lauren Strait is a senior at Alvirne High School in Hudson.