This week, I’m highlighting some new tools and websites that will help parents and students during the college prep process. Today’s pick is Make Me a Freshman, a tool students can use to organize the college application. I asked them to send me more information on their site and how it works:
Confused by the college application process? One reason that applying to college can seem so complicated is that every college has its own set of forms and deadlines, and it is not always easy to understand exactly what you must do to apply to all of your colleges.
That’s where Make Me a Freshman can help. With this free website, you simply choose your colleges, and the website generates a checklist with all of your specific requirements and deadlines, broken down to include everything you need to know, from teacher recommendations to interviews to standardized testing requirements.
The website also includes information about financial aid, explaining how and when to apply for federal aid, state aid, and college-specific aid. For example, most colleges have a priority deadline for submitting the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and Make Me a Freshman will show you the date you should submit your FAFSA in order to maximize your financial aid for all the colleges on your list. You can also set preferences about early decision versus regular decision deadlines, and you can see information about college-specific scholarships and honors programs. Plus, to help you stay on track, you will get reminders about upcoming tasks.
Here’s a screen shot of what the actual checklist would look like.
In a recent Forbes interview, Make Me a Freshman was asked the question:
How does MMAF differ from and perhaps better than other college-search websites that already exist?
Make Me a Freshman is more personalized and comprehensive than existing websites. Unlike many other websites, Make Me a Freshman will not just tell users when the main application is due; users will get a checklist with all of the forms they need, including teacher recommendations, school reports, interviews, and more. Plus, we integrate financial aid and standardized testing tasks. Additionally, our algorithms factor in all of a user’s colleges.
Make Me a Freshman provides one spot for you to understand and organize everything you must do to apply to your colleges and for your financial aid—all for free. Check it out at MakeMeAFreshman.com