Applying To College 2.0
Posted by anastasia on 07-23-2007
One of the rite of passage for college bound teens that has been dramatically transformed by technology is the college application process. I'll never forget going to speak to the college counselor about whether I was interested in a big or large school, what my reach and safety schools would be and drafting a schedule to make sure I got all of my essays, recommendations and other paperwork in by the deadlines. I remember typing (on a typewriter!) and hand writing parts of my paperwork — liquid paper at the ready. I used guide books to read about different schools, physically visited a few, and limiting myself to only five schools (the applications were all so much work).
I thought about this when I read about Campus Explorer on Mashable — it's a "search and resource tool for students, parents and counselors." More from Mashable:
Still in beta, Campus Explorer offers information on colleges and universities, filtered by region, area of study, type of degree, student population and several other search parameters. Search results are displayed on a Google map, and in a list format with links to the school’s profile on Campus Explorer. Additional information, from expenses to the admissions process is provided for users.
Between college guide content moving into databases like Campus Explorer, students using "common applications" online where they can apply to multiple schools at once (I've heard of teens applying to 20 colleges!), going on virtual college tours, and interfacing with recruiters on sites like Facebook, it feels like the college application process is almost completely automated — oh, and I can't forget all of the financial aid/scholarship resources that are now online. It's amazing publishers continue to publish this stuff in print at all. To me, nothing can really replace the offline experience of visiting a campus and meeting students and professors face-to-face, but I realize not all teens and their families can afford to make the trips. This is just one of my "Gen Xer marveling at how much things have changed for teens today" posts!
