As the future weighs on the minds of high school students everywhere, help from the school system is available for those who know how to access it. The Career Center is available to students in order to help them with their post-secondary education plans which includes, but is not limited to, college planning.

Georgia Smith runs the Career Center and says that “students should use me and the resources more.” The Career Center offers many written materials such as brochures, as well as software programs that are available for students use in deciding the college of their choice or their career. Students are also able to use Naviance, a website dedicated to the expanding a student’s range of research when it comes to college and career exploration.

Naviance also shows the full list of college visits that are made available for students, though the priority is upperclassmen. Smith says that college visits are held “mostly in fall, when college representatives are travelling due to application deadlines” that typically begin in November.

The bulk of Fall College visits occur from the beginning of the school year to early December and are primarily aimed at seniors due to the fact that application deadlines pose more of an issue. In addition to the college visit schedule, students must register to attend college visits on Naviance where the deadline to register is the day before the requested visit.

There are also college visits held in Spring for the junior class’s benefit in order to interest get an early interest in the college application process. Jeannine C. Lalonde, the Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions at the University of Virginia, who served as a representative for UVA at a recent college visit says that students can benefit from these visits because it gives them a “sense of a school.” The visits are also beneficial for students who cannot physically visit the college due to the expense or distance.

Lalonde says that college visits are a “a casual meeting so it’s more comfortable and a great way to ask questions.” Students receive valuable information from each college in reference to the admission process. Lalonde says that UVA in particular looks at the progression of a student’s courses, grades for midterms and finals, as well as valuable information concerning the essay portion of the Common Application.

It is important for students to register as soon as possible on Naviance due to the limited space available. Smith says that student attendance depends on the college that visits and that the more popular colleges gain up to 70 students attending their information session.

The Career Center is available for student use during the school day, Titan Time, and afterschool. Smith herself is available for parents and students during those times as well as before school by scheduled appointment via email.

According to Smith, it is important to get information out there about the Career Center in order to make it more of a resource to the student body.