Hey Juniors! By now, you have all received your login information to access our Naviance program with the oh- so- talked- about scattergrams. As I watched my counseling groups log in for the first time, I noticed that many of you looked at the scattergrams while peeking out from behind semi-covered eyes, similar to when watching a scary movie and you want to look, but you don’t want to look. While we understand this trepidation – seeing all that data in red and green can be intimidating – we want to encourage you to keep your heads up!
First, there is way more to you than just numbers! The scattergrams are just one tool among many to help you create a well balanced list. They offer you some Visitation specific statistics to complement the national stats found in books like the Fiske Guide or web resources such as collegeboard.com. While the numbers are an important part of the process, GPA and test scores don’t tell the whole story. Colleges will look at your personal qualities reflected in essays and recommendations and other subjective qualities like student leadership, interest, and co-curricular involvement.
Another important point to remember is that you are still in progress! Your Naviance profile shows Junior year PSATs from way back in October (you took that test before Fall Gold-White - think about how much more you've learned since then) and only 5 semesters of grades. That means you are comparing yourself to past Visitation applicants whose numbers represent the HIGHEST SAT scores achieved by seniors over several sittings plus SEVEN SEMESTERS of grades. What does this mean? This is just a starting point for you, something to help predict a possible trend, but it is not the end all be all for determining if you will get into college!
So don’t be afraid to use these scattergrams to help guide you in the beginning of your research – but talk to your college counselors to help you interpret the information and to help calm those nerves. Happy researching!
Filed by KMH
First, there is way more to you than just numbers! The scattergrams are just one tool among many to help you create a well balanced list. They offer you some Visitation specific statistics to complement the national stats found in books like the Fiske Guide or web resources such as collegeboard.com. While the numbers are an important part of the process, GPA and test scores don’t tell the whole story. Colleges will look at your personal qualities reflected in essays and recommendations and other subjective qualities like student leadership, interest, and co-curricular involvement.
Another important point to remember is that you are still in progress! Your Naviance profile shows Junior year PSATs from way back in October (you took that test before Fall Gold-White - think about how much more you've learned since then) and only 5 semesters of grades. That means you are comparing yourself to past Visitation applicants whose numbers represent the HIGHEST SAT scores achieved by seniors over several sittings plus SEVEN SEMESTERS of grades. What does this mean? This is just a starting point for you, something to help predict a possible trend, but it is not the end all be all for determining if you will get into college!
So don’t be afraid to use these scattergrams to help guide you in the beginning of your research – but talk to your college counselors to help you interpret the information and to help calm those nerves. Happy researching!
Filed by KMH
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