New information comes out daily about college planning, from changes in admission policies to paying for college. Keeping up with the constant barrage can be overwhelming. Oftentimes, I wonder how families keep abreast of all the news when as a college planning professional, I find it challenging on good days. Personally, I scour social media, follow influencers, read professional publications, attend conferences and participate in more webinars than I can count. Visiting colleges is a major part of my ongoing education as a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). To date, I’m on schedule to tour about 30 colleges and universities before the end of 2017.
Lately, my self-imposed professional development regimen includes learning about apps to help students plan, prepare and pay for college. My kids at Chillax, a teen program sponsored by one of my local library branches, were trying to teach me the importance of Snapchat but I’m saving that professional development for another day. Four apps caught my attention and I want to tell you a little something about each of them. They are the Daily Practice SAT, Minorities to Majorities™, Scholly and ZeeMee.
Daily Practice SAT. If you know students prepping for the SAT, this app is a great resource at no cost! The first time I used it I became giddy over the possibilities this app presented. I’m a life-longer learner and I get excited about when I have something to share with my students to help them move forward. This app scans, scores and delivers a question and answer analysis for students’ practice tests. Watch this video to learn more about using this app.
Minorities to Majorities™. Jasmine N. Chigbu, Duke graduate and creator of this app envisioned a resource “to provide students, especially ethnic minority, female, LGBT and international students with information about various scholarship, internship, and fellowship opportunities.” Available in the App Store and Google Play, currently there is no cost for this tool. Watch this YouTube video to learn about its features and hear from Ms. Chigbu in her own words.
Scholly. How many of you are Shark Tank fans? I am. I love watching the entrepreneurial spirit come alive during the pitches. Chris Gray pitched Scholly, an app designed to help students at various educational levels to search for scholarships more efficiently, on Shark Tank during Season 6. For the low price of $2.99, students can download the app, complete their profile and start applying for scholarships. How did Chris do on Shark Tank? Watch!
ZeeMee. Part of the college application process involves college bound students telling their story. This redesigned platform allows students to convey whom they are through 26-second videos and photos chosen by them. Currently, more than 200 colleges are partners with ZeeMee. Do you need more information about this free resource for college admission? Watch Ethan Lin, ZeeMee’s Head of Education give some tips to help you create a video profile to support your college application.
These resources and tools are an opportunity for college bound high school students and current college students at the undergraduate and graduate level to explore the many possibilities open to them.