By Rachel Sumang, Office of Undergraduate Studies at Texas A&M University
 
One of my most vivid memories of preparing for college was putting together my first fall class schedule at Texas A&M.
 
I remember sitting in the Academic Building, iPad in-hand, learning how to create my schedule and how to use the Howdy portal at my New Student Conference almost four years ago.
 
I wrote down registration codes with a pencil on bright pink parchment that outlined my degree plan. As soon as my registration time came, I quickly transferred these handwritten codes into the Howdy page plastered on the screen of my borrowed iPad.
 
Then, as my second semester at TAMU approached, I walked into my advisor’s office and checked into my advising appointment, scheduled over a phone call, to figure out my new classes.  
 
In retrospect, it seems like a very old-school way of making sure my schooling was in order.
 
I repeated this process over and over again up until this semester—my final semester at Texas A&M.
 
Before registering for the spring semester, I learned about the Navigate mobile application.  Navigate is an app designed to help Texas A&M undergraduate students to stay on top of their school work, be informed of campus resources, and stay connected with everything TAMU.
 
Looking at my new Navigate app, I was able to see a plethora of resources such as the link to my graduation application, a portal to connect me to my advisor, and a campus event calendar.
 
I was even surprised to find a “Study Buddy” feature that connects me to my classmates in order to form study groups. There was no need to search for students in my class because Navigate already set aside a roster of people in my class looking for people to study with. 
 
I was also thrilled to learn that Navigate has an alert system that notifies students about things like academic planning deadlines and event sign-ups.
 
My appreciation for Navigate’s features is not unilateral. Junior Mackenzie Lillard expressed her thoughts on the student resources the app invites her to explore.
 
“Texas A&M has so many resources for students that I never knew we had until Navigate… Being able to easily schedule advising appointments and having access to contact other peers in my classes has been so helpful, especially under the current circumstances of COVID!,” said Lillard.
 
I was interested in learning more about Navigate, how to use it, and its benefits, so I talked to EAB Navigate Administrator Adrienne Bentz to find out more.
 
“Navigate provides a space for students to organize their college experience and academic success.  Navigate Student allows students to schedule and view availabilities of advisors and other offices across campus 24/7 at their convenience. They can manage and track appointments through the app. Once confirmed students receive a confirmation and are also reminded 24 hours in advance of their appointment.  If they need to cancel or reschedule, they can easily do that as well in the app,” said Bentz.
 
Upcoming in late spring-early summer 2021, Texas A&M will be rolling out updated scheduling in Navigate with features focused on getting students to advisor schedules quick and easy.
 
Bentz elaborated on how Texas A&M University partners with EAB Global, Inc. to provide students, advisors, and staff with access to Navigate.
 
“This collaborative will be able to further Texas A&M’s commitment to its mission of providing the highest quality undergraduate education for our students and to better ensure that they stay connected and on track to graduation,” said Bentz. 
 
The university is able to take initiative in establishing paths for students to succeed in their academic studies and their plans post-graduation by organizing innovative partnerships with companies like EAB Global, Inc.
 
After talking to Bentz, I was happy to put away my pink parchment and look forward to the innovation future Texas A&M students will encounter when they are organizing their academic life.