By Sam Groves | Editor in Chief

Credit where credit is due: Naviance has a good idea behind it.

It may not have taken a genius to realize that there’s a market for an online college application system that allows you to keep everything in one place. This is the 21st century, after all. But kudos to Stephen M. Smith and Shaun Fanning, who actually took the trouble to create such a system—all the way back in 2002, no less.

Still, Naviance is going through a troubled implementation process at Pearce.

Despite multiple and increasingly redundant training courses (some in English classes, some in SOC, some after school), students and teachers still struggle with the system. The school should develop a more comprehensive method of instruction.

In addition to this, the website is taken down for long periods of time, currently from Dec. 9 to Jan. 5. It was first taken down for Thanksgiving break to give the counselors time to prepare, and so that they were not overwhelmed during the break.

This shutdown is occuring in anticipation of winter break and another flood of application deadlines.

Of course, Naviance was only recently implemented at Pearce. These kinds of kinks are to be expected. And students are lucky to go to a school that uses Naviance at all—few would prefer the old system.

But hopefully the school can iron out these kinks sooner rather than later. After all, these are college applications we’re talking about, and college, as Pearce seniors need hardly be reminded, is the most important thing they will ever do in their entire life.

Categories: Opinion