It was a travel-filled week as the Amazon AWS EdStart Builders’ Workshop in Palo Alto kicked off just as the Super ACAC conference in Arizona wrapped up. After such a terrific few days with fellow counselors and college admissions teams, meeting such innovative members of the EdStart Program got me thinking about new creative solutions to help counselors and students through the college process. There is so much happening on the technical side that can support our planned Corsava features, I cannot wait! Discussing trends in admissions, meeting with potential partners, and learning about technical innovations to support our new applications combined to make the jump to summer and lead into fall all the more inspiring.
My Alaska flight just hit 10,000 feet, the throngs of people that constitute O’Hare on a late Friday afternoon are behind me, and I am excited to be heading for an 80-degree and sunny (surprise!) weekend back home in Seattle. The IECA conference was valuable, Chicago was at its best, and I am excited thinking about what’s ahead for Corsava after getting such great feedback from so many users. The cards made it into the College Essay Guy’s popular (and fast!) “60 College Application Tips in 60 Minutes” session, and it always makes my day to hear user stories about the impact the cards have had on so many students.
At Corsava, we help students discover, embrace, and communicate their emotional preferences in a gamified way as they explore 138 aspects of the college experience across six broader categories. Since September 1, 2019, we’ve collected over 1.7 million Corsava student college attribute preferences. This series explores how those preferences have changed over the course of time.
In this installment, we'll focus on movement in our Top 20 Must Have and Would Be Nice cards.
Lately, I have been reviewing a lot of reports regarding the rise of high school students’ level of stress and anxiety. College students too are experiencing similar levels of anxiety about their future and pivoting their academic and career plans. At Corsava, we have been able to quantify (in real-time) our students’ level of anxiety and frustration as they go through the process of building their college lists. Since September 1, 2019, we’ve collected over 1.7 million Corsava student college attribute preferences. By selecting what is important, students give more thought to their choices (often in partnership with their counselor), adding intentionality to the process.
It is rankings season, and in typical fashion, those using a mix of variables to build an algorithm to compile an ordered list of colleges offer a popular way for students and families to evaluate and narrow their overwhelming choices. Following closely on the heels of these listings are press releases from colleges extolling the virtues of categories they excel in or moved up in, followed closely by articles bashing the rankings.
Google's launch of its college search tool and University of Chicago's announcement that it was going test optional made for quite a week in college admissions. I found it ironic that Google placed scores front and center, yet Chicago decided they weren't that helpful. I laud Chicago's decision, but I'm also grateful that we can now quickly access this consistent data.
A new year means hitting the refresh button! Just in time for the list-building season, we upgraded your Corsava account to include great ways to drill down quickly to students’ deeper preferences to find a good college fit. We are excited to bring you enhanced tools to help you in your work—increasing the fun factor, promoting engagement and access, and freeing up your time.
