This year, Avon students and families will have access to a powerful new tool to help them navigate the often confusing and always stressful college search process.
CollegeVine is an online platform designed to foster connections between students and colleges so that, prior to graduation, students are in a position to make an informed decision about what comes next.
The platform connects high schoolers with advisors, current college students, peers and admissions officers in a secure, online setting and generally helps streamline the process of searching for and selecting a college.
Drawing on the experiences of students who’ve previously utilized the service, CollegeVine is also capable of analyzing students’ odds of acceptance at certain colleges and recommending high return-on-investment schools that both minimize student loan debt and improve career outcomes.
Avon and York Central Schools are piloting the service this year with the help of Genesee Valley BOCES.
Through CollegeVine, students also have access to the platform’s college rankings lists and extensive archive of how-to livestreams, essay prompts and blog posts - many of which feature currently enrolled or recently graduated college students sharing about their own admissions journeys. On the platform, students can also create a profile detailing their high school accomplishments and interests for college recruiters.
The platform even allows users to chat, 1-on-1, with college admissions specialists who can recommend colleges and universities that align with a student’s interests and goals, give feedback on admissions essays and even help apply for scholarships.
“I’ve got two kids in college right now, so I know how hard the process of choosing a school, applying to it and obtaining financial aid information can be,” said Superintendent Ryan Pacatte. “I hope families take advantage of this free resource and am confident CollegeVine is going to be a real help for our students as they prepare for life after graduation.”
Avon is working with CollegeVine to coordinate the rollout of the service to students. More information about how to access CollegeVine will be shared on the district’s website and social media platforms in the coming weeks.
Other college and career readiness tools available to Avon students include:
Naviance, a web-based college and career readiness platform that connects learning in school to life outside of school. Students can explore colleges and careers, and store documents like recommendations and resumes. Naviance helps provide students with resources to prepare for life after high school. Students can access Naviance through their Clever account at school.
Pathful (previously known as Nepris) is an online resource that connects teachers and students with professionals in a range of career categories for virtual, in-classroom experiences. Pathful boasts a network of more than 50,000 working professionals and is intended to help widen students’ interests and help them envision themselves in careers they might not otherwise be aware of or consider as an option.
Paper, an online, chat-based tutoring service that students can access 24 hours per day. Paper employs a large team of highly-qualified tutors in a range of academic disciplines who students have access to through their school accounts. The service can be used for individualized support with classes or, in some cases, writing assignments.
More information about existing resources for students can be found online at AvonCSD.org/page/student-resources/ or by clicking here.