College Up

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  1 High-Fidelity Screen

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  1 Mid/Low-Fidelity of Prototype

Our inspiration

Our inspiration stems from the very experiences of our close friends and ours. The lack of available resources gaps the students from seeking the necessary help they need in their academic careers. First-gen students have trouble applying for long and arduous college applications which can be overwhelmingly intimidating for students who's schools are underfunded for college guidance resources. Even if they are admitted, the retention rate is dangerously low for first-gen students. COVID-19 has now set a new barrier that won’t allow for people to meet as frequently (or at all) for a personalized conversation about college, therefore having videos explain the step-by-step process of the application, organize deadlines for scholarship and submission paperwork will ultimately help students have make their experience less stressful. Further resources in college support will also allow the retention rate of first-generation students to increase.

What it does

This digital platform helps organize students' deadlines based on the college that would like to apply, offer local scholarships based on their profile, and have user-friendly resources that can guide them through the process (including FAQ or even submit their own). It also includes SAT prep resources with a built-in timer for practice problem solving, career prep, FAFSA how-to Videos, Undocumented how-to videos, college navigation, resume and personal statement support system (where students can send their documents to be reviewed then within a week receive helpful feedback). Inequality of college resources is going to be a more limiting factor therefore this website of calendar planning will show important deadlines and how to manage the time leading up to college. After they are accepted to their college, their calendars with sync with the colleges they get accepted to and have available a place to organize important deadlines (rent due date, tuition due dates)--anything they want to track down. It would also offer suggested deadlines in giving enough time for completion such as having students start their personal statements minimum 2 months before.

How we built it

Our team developed a basic prototype on Figma that lays out the general picture of this platform. However, the team plans on using web-based technologies that generate a user-friendly UX/UI, especially since we are trying to provide as many resources without overwhelming the users and discouraging them from using our platform.

Challenges we ran into

As a team, it was our first time ever designing and had a lot of great ideas! The issue was synthesizing those ideas and not deviate away from the problem we were trying to solve. Likewise, we also had trouble with creating a visual design. Having never used Figma before, we didn’t know how to even create a button. In the end, we prevailed and absolutely loved the outcome.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that we are taking action in bringing change to an issue that has affected many of us personally by offering a solution that makes college more available for first-generation students. It is the gift of education thanks by our predecessors that we believe this is the beginning of giving back to our community.

What we learned

Designing a website requires a dedicated and inspired team with a lot of patience. It was a beautiful thing in creating something from our minds and manifesting it into a visual reality.

What's next for College Up

We hope to pitch this idea to future sponsors, schools, and other partners to make it a reality. Likewise, we will begin to write the code soon with a team of engineers and designers.

Built With

• figma