Ben Lippen has recently transitioned from Naviance to SCOIR to further create opportunities to assist our students as they move forward in their career and college exploration. SCOIR is a network that allows high school students to broaden their access of both and does so with the aim of helping to improve student outcomes. With the newly implemented platform, students now have a plethora of resources at their fingertips that can be accessed at any time. While one of the primary uses of the platform will be to assist in the college search, planning, and application process for students, the career exploration tool will also be utilized. Not only will the career section of the site enable our students to begin the thought process surrounding their future earlier, but it will also allow them to expand their thoughts and knowledge, keeping them updated and informed as they transition throughout their high school career. 

Beginning as freshmen, students can begin the process by personalizing and organizing their personal profile. By tackling this early on students will now have the capability to keep track of everything from their activities, achievements, service hours, and more. The resources provided by SCOIR also allow students to start their college search by taking a Find Your College Match quiz, which generates colleges that match their unique interests. In continuing the process, students can keep an organized list of schools they are interested in using the available tools of the platform. They can also view and sign up for college visits directly through their account. 

In addition, SCOIR makes the college application process a breeze. Not only does a students’ SCOIR account easily sync with their Common App account, but it also allows students to submit documents with fewer clicks, creating a more stress-free experience when it comes to submitting all needed materials for college applications. Other features include: allowing students to directly message counselors and their parents to share important information associated with college applications, viewing assignments created by their counselor that need completing, communicating with the colleges you express interest in, and more! 

While exploring the platform, self-discovery will naturally become part of the process-especially when diving into the resources related to career exploration. Similar to the Find Your College Match quiz, this section promotes both the initial 5-minute interest assessment and a longer character-based assessment that explores their interests and customizes their search moving forward. Students are provided a more comprehensive overview of careers and, as a result, can move forward with more confidence with the information they learn. Academic preferences can also be added to not only help determine their future path concerning a career, but because of the depth of knowledge they are provided, it also further promotes their ability to identify and choose a college major moving forward. 

SCOIR is a fantastic opportunity for our students, and we are excited for them to dive in! 

-- Dr. Annie Price, Ben Lippen College Counselor