Preparing for College Web Site
“Current research indicates that there is a disparity in the level of information and guidance available to high school students across the U.S. 'Preparing for College' is filling in the gaps. The site is a great tool for all high school students, and especially beneficial to hopeful college-bound students who don't have easy access to information and tools to help them achieve their goal.”
--J. Michael Thompson, USC Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
Challenge
Information on how to plan and prepare for applying to highly selective universities is not always easily accessible to high school students across the country.
Solution
USC Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, J. Michael Thompson envisioned a Web-based system that would allow potential college students, their parents, and guidance counselors to:
- Learn about important considerations and milestones for college-bound students
- Keep track of individual academic, standardized testing, and extracurricular accomplishments
- Research and identify potential colleges; rank colleges according to individualized key characteristics, and compare rankings
- Prepare for application submission through a resume builder
USC's Web team built the Preparing for College Web site upon The Igneous Group's IGXEC platform. In addition to standard IGXEC facilities, The Igneous Group created several custom features such as searchable Success Stories, College Comparison Chart, and the student-focus Preparing for College Planner.
The IGXEC platform is very user-friendly and allows for easy maintenance of the site. We can have front-line users enter changes and then simply have our publisher review them for accuracy and site brand cohesiveness before publishing. The role-based structure allows us to have many people contribute to the site and keep it current.
-- Patrick LaBo, Senior Associate Director of Enrollment Services, University of Southern California
Results
Preparing for College has been enthusiastically received by educators, school counselors, parents, and students. The Los Angeles Unified School District has decided to recommend Preparing for College to all incoming ninth graders.
..we will be holding our annual parent-student night for college planning in mid-January. We have already decided that the Preparing For College Web site will be specifically referenced as a Web site where families can profitably spend time planning for their child's future. --Ken Edwards, Assistant Principal, Student Services, Bonita High School, La Verne, CA
I will absolutely recommend Preparing for College to my students. The site is very well organized, very clean, easy to navigate and easy to understand. The layout is inviting, the components are well conceived. --Karl Jennings, Guidance Counselor, North High School, Torrance, CA
