Envision

Together We Rise: Building a Warm, Supportive Community Where Students Succeed!

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Inspiration

Facing the challenges to get the assistance needed for the university's application is an exhausting experience for most of us. From feeling lost when school counselors aren’t able to provide the accurate guidance about university applications, to keeping track of crucial deadlines, status of admission, required documents and even planning out the entire journey on your own—these hurdles can be isolating and intimidating. On top of that, financial aid forms and supplemental materials add another layer of complexity. Envision provides accessible support to simplify the application process.

That’s where Envision comes in. It's an aspirational community that connects students especially with limited financial resources who can't afford expensive counselors applying to different universities. It provides a safe space for discussing mental health, enabling students to connect, share their experiences, seek help, and receive guidance throughout the application process. Our goal is to ensure that everyone feels welcomed and has a fair chance to succeed in a world that often seems unfair.

What it does

Envision is a visionary platform where students from across the globe, who lack resources and guidance from counselors & schools, unite to support one another through the university application process. Our global peer-to-peer network connects students, allowing them to exchange ideas and receive guidance throughout the application process.

Imagine a student in Brazil collaborating with a peer in the United states to strengthen their applications, creating a lively community where students team up, swap stories, share laughs, and help each other ace the application process—teamwork makes the dream work!

But Envision goes beyond just connecting students and a website for finding guidance. Understanding the value of mental health, we are creating a welcoming environment where students can talk openly about mental health challenges, connect with others going through similar things, and find comfort in a caring group of people. With Envision, we hope to change the intimidating process of applying to universities into a positive, interactive experience where each student feels prepared, encouraged, and supported.

How we built it

  • Organized content using HTML5 elements for better readability and SEO.
  • HTML was also used to create the foundational structure, including headers, paragraphs, images, links, forms, and buttons.
  • For animations and transitions, we implemented a smooth scaling effect on hover with CSS transitions and defined CSS keyframes for zoom-in animations on pages.
  • Ensured the website adapts to various screen sizes, particularly small devices with specific styles for widths below a certain horizontal size.
  • Utilized Flexbox for the button container to center buttons horizontally and add spacing.
  • Applied ID selectors for unique element styling and JavaScript.
  • Added opacity changes on hover to reveal hidden overlays with smooth transitions.
  • Used local storage to persist user data, posts, and comments across sessions and implemented login functionality that stores the username in local storage and toggles the visibility of the authentication section and the forum.

Challenges we ran into

  • Managed CSS to avoid conflicts and maintain a clean interface.
  • Addressed memory issues related to event management especially with the Help Forum
  • Prevented form submission with empty fields and validated user input.
  • Ensured consistent forum behavior and appearance across browsers, fixing CSS Flexbox issues.
  • JSON files being banned on browsers lead to combining of data in HTML

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully implemented a feature for students to easily find scholarships.
  • Enabled access to threads, making the forum easy to use.
  • Provided a checklist for students to keep track of their tasks.
  • Added a map to help students find colleges and universities in their country.
  • Provided Help Q&A for students whenever they face any issues.

What we learned

  • Learned to ensure consistent styling across browsers.
  • Efficiently handled user actions and interactions.
  • Developed methods for handling errors and providing user feedback.
  • Designed code for future improvements and easy maintenance.
  • Learned techniques for synchronizing content between local storage and the UI.
  • Focused on securing user data and protecting the application from vulnerabilities.
  • Managed CSS effectively to avoid conflicts and maintain clean styles.

What's next for Envision

  • Deploy a sign in page with gmail or discord linking for easier profile access
  • Integrate WebRTC for seamless real-time chat, voice, and video.
  • Use advanced moderation algorithms with machine learning and NLP for effective content monitoring
  • Offer mental health resources such as online counseling, stress management workshops, and self-care toolkits, all of it designed to the needs of students navigating the application process.
  • Implement feedback tools for continuous improvement of Envision’s mental health support.
  • Launch awareness initiatives to address mental health challenges in the admissions process.
  • Enable students to access and interact with shared Q&A, promoting knowledge exchange and peer support throughout the application process.
  • Work on a way to allow multiple people to talk to each other on forums with the use of a json API!
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