College Search Mobile Apps

Colleges and Guides Create Their Own Apps to Help Students Decide Where to Apply Everything seems to become easier once it’s transformed into an app. Smartphone users have benefited from the pocket-friendly app trend for years now, and given the complexity of the college admissions process, it’s no wonder that colleges and popular college guides are developing mobile apps aimed at informing prospective students. Researching colleges has always been an ordeal for most students because of the overwhelming number of books and articles available on the subject, but this college application season, wield the organizational and analytical power of these easy-to-use college search apps, and even mobile apps developed by the colleges themselves! University of Virginia by WillowTree Apps, Inc. (Free) Multitasking college research apps are on the uptick, so individual colleges and universities have responded with their own software to better serve high school students. A great example of such an app is the one created by the University of Virginia. When you first open this Webby Award-winning app, it asks you whether you’re a UVa parent, student, or prospective student so that it gives you access to only the most relevant information. The app keeps you plugged in on important campus events, such as football games and study breaks. Princeton Mobile by Princeton University (Free) Much like the UVa app, Princeton Mobile provides users with important information about Princeton’s historic campus and rich student life. On the Princeton app, you can peruse the detailed campus maps, dining hall menus, and transit recommendations. The transit feature is especially handy for any visiting students who want to take a look at what’s in the New Jersey area! Harvard Yard Tour by Harvard University (Free) Harvard’s software developing team has actually created two iPhone apps for the famously selective Ivy League university: one for enrolled Harvard students, and one for prospective Harvard students. Harvard Yard Tour was developed with prospective students in mind, so it takes users through a virtual tour of Harvard’s campus. Each tour â€Å"stop† provides quick facts, insider’s views, groundbreaking history tidbits, and videos. The app tour concludes with information about the real-life information center located on Harvard’s campus for anyone who wants to follow up with an in-person tour. Naviance Student by Hobsons, Inc. (Free) If you attend a Naviance-affiliated high school, chances are you’ll benefit greatly from the Naviance Student iPhone app. The app allows users to log in and create a college application calendar that reminds them of important dates, such as transcript due dates, college fairs, and tutoring sessions. The app also pulls data from the Naviance database so users have access to crucial information about colleges, such as admissions office contact information, acceptance rates, and average test scores. Fiske Interactive College Guide 2014 by Sourcebooks, Inc. ($19.99) The Fiske Guide to Colleges is one of the best out there, and now its publishers have compiled all of the valuable information it contains into a compact iPad app. This app holds information about every single college and university in the United States, and allows users to filter their college searches by crucial factors such as location, enrollment size, and quality of life. Quad2Quad – College Visit Guru by Quad2Quad (Free) This ingenious app gets rid of the hassle and stress that comes along with visiting all of the college campuses on your list. Quad2Quad features 91 of the most selective colleges in the United States and allows users to set up maps and day planners for their college tours. The app also provides crucial college tour information such as interview sign-up protocol, on-campus parking, and tour session times. When you start researching colleges, make sure you go in prepared. Mobile apps are great ways to view and organize information about prospective colleges. Do you have any other mobile app suggestions? Tell us in the comments below!