Planning Tools & Resources

Naviance can be accessed from this page or the student portals. Students must be logged in to their FUHSD Google Account to access Naviance.

Students and parents each have a Naviance account. Log-in with the e-mail address and the password created. If you forgot the password, follow the instructions on the log-in page.

Direct any questions about Naviance to Mr. Calderon in the College & Career Center or to your Guidance Counselor.

Monta Vista uses Naviance to submit documents electronically to colleges. These documents include Secondary School Reports (SSRs), Letters of Recommendation and transcripts. Seniors need to make sure that the colleges they are applying to are listed in Naviance and that their list is updated to reflect their most current selection of schools.

Students sign on to Naviance using their email address and password they created. 

Additionally, students should visit the "Materials" on the Guidance Schoology page for resources related to the application process such as dates and presentation material for College Workshops

The Guidance Counselors visit each grade level once a year in their English or History classes. In addition to presenting material about high school and college, there is an accompanying Naviance activity specific to the grade level. Students are welcome to explore all aspects of Naviance at any time. See below for Naviance classroom activities:

• Naviance Activities for Freshmen
• Sophomore Naviance Activity
• Junior Naviance Activity Instructions
• Junior Naviance Activity Part 1
• Junior College Search Naviance Activity Part 2

Naviance provides a number of resources in one place, including, but not limited to the following:

• Career and Personality Interest Inventories (Myers-Briggs and Strong) to help you discover potential careers and majors that match your skills and interests
• Career Exploration – job descriptions and summaries, and tools to show you the education, skills, and abilities necessary for thousands of careers, as well as expected salaries.
• Resume Builder - students can start keeping track of their activities in one place.
• College & Major search options that can be tailored to your specifications (location, size, etc.), including links to college websites and information about admissions requirements and deadlines
• Building a college list of schools you may be interested in
• Scattergrams that show how you compare to other Monta Vista students, in terms of GPA and SAT/ACT scores, who have applied to colleges you are interested in
• Search for scholarships

Attending a college, university, career or technical school can be expensive. About three‐quarters of all students get some type of financial assistance. However, there are many financial aid resources available to achieve your post secondary goals, including:

• Federal or California grants;
• Scholarships through your parents’ employers, religious groups, private clubs, lodges, businesses, foundations, unions, community groups, private individuals, and various organizations. They can be based on such things as academic merit, SAT or ACT scores, competitive essay, field of study, special talent, ethnicity, leadership ability, community service activities, and athletics. Determine what are the terms and conditions to renew the scholarship (i.e. GPA);
• Loans;
• Work study programs; and
• Tuition reimbursement programs from part‐time employers (for example, Bank of America and Starbucks).

It is never too early for you to explore the opportunities for financial aid while in high school. Getting these financial resources requires some research. Most financial aid is based on your need, not your academic performance. 

It is important for you to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or other required forms prior to deadline dates. In this way, colleges determine what type of financial aid you are entitled to as well as your family’s contribution. An on‐line calculator (FAFSA4caster) has been developed to assist families in financial planning for federal student aid. Colleges offer different packages and amounts of financial aid. Compare the offers of financial aid from various schools and accept only what you want!

Monta Vista High School’s Guidance Office maintains a scholarship file in this Google Sheet. Opportunities are updated as they are sent in. 

• College Board- Big Future Scholarship Search - Find scholarships, other financial aid and internships from more than 2,200 programs, totaling nearly $6 billion.
• College Green Light - Connecting first-generation students to scholarship opportunities.
• Going Merry - Find and apply for scholarships online with a common app and make it easier for providers to create and manage their scholarships.
• JLV College Counseling - Scholarship database is broken down by various categories of the due date, major and hobbies/interests.
• Scholar Snapp - Links with Common App for personal information and essays

Start early to open a tax‐free “college savings account” (529 Plan). Talk to your local banker, credit union representative, or financial planner for details.

Get help from your student’s school counselor about financial aid information. Be sure to attend all financial aid and college programs offered by your high school. Talk to friends and relatives whose children have attended college or vocational schools.

Be careful to meet all deadlines regarding financial information, loans, or scholarships. Missing a deadline may mean not getting well‐deserved financial assistances for your student.

Be aware that there may be an Expected Family Contribution. This contribution is calculated by the government using various factors based on your student’s FAFSA. These include looking at your family size, income, assets, age of mother and father, and number of family members in college. The Expected Family Contribution is reported on the Student AID Report (SAR) which is received several weeks after completing the FAFSA. The contribution the same for all schools, no matter what the cost are to attend the school. Be aware that financial need is Cost of Attendance minus the the Expected Family Contribution = Financial Need

If you have to pay to get money for financial aid, it is probably a scam. Every year students and parents are cheated out of more than $100 million dollars. According to the Federal Trade Commission, common signs of a scam which you should watch out for include:

• Companies or organizations using names such as “National,” “Federal,” “Foundation,” or “Administration.”
• “There is a scholarship application fee.”
• “This scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.”
• “You can’t get this information anywhere else.”
• “May I have your credit card number, social security number, ATM pin number, or bank account number to hold this scholarship?”
• “We’ll do ALL the work for you.”
• “This scholarship may cost you some money.”
• “You’ve been selected by a foundation to receive a scholarship,” OR “You’re a finalist” in a contest in which you NEVER entered.

There are numerous free services available online (see Web Resources). Be a smart consumer! Never pay money to get money.

Many colleges, universities and private scholarship programs collect additional information to assist in the awarding of aid through non-federal financial aid programs. In particular, many private colleges require the CSS/PROFILE in addition to the FAFSA and some require that their own financial aid forms are submitted as well. If you are applying to one or more colleges on the CSS Code List (included in PROFILE registration material), you should complete both the FAFSA and PROFILE.

Please check with individual colleges for deadline dates.

• College Board
• CSS PROFILE

Presentation from MVHS Financial Aid Night November 14, 2019

Contact: Katy Fitzgerald 
Katy.Fitzgerald@missioncollege.edu

Financial Aid Overview 2019-PDF