Schools Adopt Online Tool To Assess College Direction

Two schools in the Atlanta area have adopted an online tool to help students find the best places for them to go to college and the best career path to pursue.

YouScience has signed an agreement with the Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, GA, and the Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, GA to have every junior and senior use the assessment tool as they begin to talk to counselors about what they will do when they finish high school.

YouScience officials claim that by using the tool to choose the college they should go to and the major they should select, students will be able to graduate from college on time.

"Our goal is to change the outcome of college among families across America by providing schools and counselors the assistance needed to guide students to their perfect education and career fit," said YouScience CEO Philip Hardin.

YouScience has used research and information from The Ball Foundation, the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) and several United States government agencies to create potential profiles that fit each student. Students will then spend about two hours on the online profile.

They start by working their way through a series of game-like, "brain-teasing" exercises, each taking between five and 12 minutes, that are designed to assess their natural abilities, specific interests and the best-fit future opportunities for them.

Once that initial assessment period is complete, the YouScience software will run through the more than 500 college and career profiles it has stored and find the best one for that specific student. It will then give the student the most likely option for colleges, careers and majors for them.

The YouScience online profile can be purchased by individuals at prices ranging from $79 to $249.

However, in this case, the two schools will give it to all their juniors and seniors before they begin their final year of high school.

"We are using it to teach students to see themselves in their best light and to ultimately sell themselves when applying for college or a job," said Fellowship Christian School Counselor Beth Buchweitz.

About the Author

Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.

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