Developing an Interactive Online Platform to Assist High School Students in College Research and Selection

As prospective international students, we have observed that high school students currently depend on the limited number of recruitment presentations organized by their schools and the fragmented university introductions available on the Internet when searching for colleges. This reliance indicates a significant deficiency in systematic, comprehensive, and personalized methods for obtaining information. Consequently, our objective is to develop an interactive online platform designed to facilitate efficient university research and selection for high school students, with the aim of enhancing their comprehension of university information and the precision of their choices.

In the course of our research, we distributed questionnaires to ascertain the factors that students deem crucial when making college choices, garnering 136 valid responses. Our findings revealed that students prioritize employment prospects above all else, with the cost of living and campus environment following closely behind.

Drawing on these research outcomes, we have conceived and designed a website intended to match students with colleges that align with their preferences. The process is straightforward: students are required to rank various factors according to their individual priorities. Upon selecting their preferred major and other pertinent options, our website will present them with a curated list of institutions that match their aspirations.

Preliminary testing of our website with a select group of users has yielded highly favorable feedback. It is our expectation that, through continued refinement and enhancement of our website, our project will prove instrumental in assisting a broader spectrum of high school students in their pursuit of effective college research and selection.

Keywords: college research and selection, interactive online platform, website refinement

In today's increasingly globalized and competitive educational landscape, the process of college research and selection has become a pivotal and often daunting task for high school students. As high school students ourselves, we are acutely aware of the challenges and complexities that this process entails. The phenomenon we have chosen to focus on is the limited access to systematic, comprehensive, and personalized information regarding college choices, which is prevalent among international high school students in Beijing and beyond.

This issue is not merely a matter of convenience; it has significant implications for the future academic and professional trajectories of international high school students. Currently, the majority of high school students rely on a scarce number of recruitment presentations organized by their schools and fragmented university introductions found on the Internet. This reliance on limited resources not only hampers their ability to make informed decisions but also restricts their exposure to a diverse range of educational opportunities.

The scope of this phenomenon is broad yet specific. It affects high school students across various regions, regardless of their academic backgrounds or aspirations. The impact of this information scarcity is profound, as it can lead to suboptimal college choices, which in turn may affect students' long-term career prospects and personal growth.

As members of the high school community, we are uniquely positioned to understand the nuances of this issue. We witness firsthand the stress and confusion that our peers experience during the college selection process. Moreover, we recognize the potential of leveraging technology to bridge this information gap. By developing an interactive online platform, we aim to empower high school students with the tools and resources they need to navigate the complex world of college research and selection effectively.

Our project is not just a response to a local need; it is a step towards addressing a widespread issue that affects the educational community at large. By focusing on this phenomenon, we hope to contribute to a more informed and empowered generation of students who are better equipped to make choices that will shape their futures. This initiative is not only important for the individual students but also for the broader community, as it fosters a culture of informed decision-making and lifelong learning.

By reviewing the relevant literature, it has been observed that international high school students encounter a multitude of challenges when selecting a university, and poor college choices can have significant negative effects on students.

According to a study conducted by Zeynab Jibreel (2015), international students frequently face issues such as language barriers, culture shock, and homesickness, which can substantially impact their academic and social experiences. These challenges are not confined to the social and cultural aspects but also extend to the academic environment. For instance, the study highlights that international students may struggle with academic achievement due to differences in educational systems and expectations. If students could select a college that suits them, these problems might be mitigated.

Furthermore, the cost of living is a limiting factor in international students' college choices. A report by The Access Project (2024) indicates that the rising cost of living has become a major concern for students when deciding on a university. This financial burden can lead to stress and may limit the options available to students, particularly for those from lower-income families, thereby making the college research and selection process more challenging.

Recognizing this issue, we examined papers written by Por, N. and Alfattal to understand the factors students consider when making college decisions. Por's study concludes that students' university choices are influenced by a combination of factors, including educational quality, affordability, career opportunities, campus amenities, and personal preferences, with each student weighing these factors differently based on individual circumstances and goals. Alfattal's study reveals that international students differ from domestic students in their college choice factors, emphasizing on-campus housing, family recommendations, academic reputation, faculty reputation, sports participation, promotional materials, and need-based financial aid.

To further validate these findings, we distributed questionnaires to ascertain what students truly consider important. The results show that we have identified numerous factors that influence international high school students' university choices, such as academic factors, campus environment, cost of living, employment prospects, and campus culture.

While the platform is user-friendly, users have expressed concerns regarding the handling of their personal information. Specifically, after registering for a single scholarship, users report that their email addresses are disseminated to an extensive list of colleges, which they find intrusive. Additionally, the accuracy of the scholarship matching feature on this website has been called into question by users, as it does not always provide relevant or suitable scholarship options.

The platform claims to take personal preferences into consideration; however, upon completing the questionnaire, the team members discovered that the matched universities were largely unfamiliar. This discrepancy arises because the questionnaire fails to address critical factors such as university rankings, which significantly impacts the relevance and perceived quality of the recommended institutions.

In order to address the deficiencies of the existing solutions, we have conducted extensive research to ensure the accuracy of the information for each school. Moreover, we prioritize the consideration of school rankings based on US News.

This investigation is for high school students. To investigate what factors high school students often consider when choosing colleges, the researchers created a questionnaire on Wenjuanxing. The survey is meant to help the final development of the researcher’s college-choosing website. The researchers confirmed influential factors of academic factors, Campus Environment, Cost of Living, Employment prospects, and Campus Culture. The questionnaire contained four main questions and eight sub-questions. Firstly, survey takers were asked to choose their grade as basic information. Then they are asked, “When choosing a college which of the following factors appear more important to you?”Ranked from very unimportant, important, normal, important to very important, survey-takers could choose the factor’s importance to them. Lastly, survey-takers are asked, “Are there any college rankings you pay a lot of attention to?” The questions above let the researchers know the importance of factors in high school students’ consideration of college choice and grasp what needs to be presented on the website.

The researchers publicized the questionnaire via their personal WeChat accounts, leveraging their extensive social networks from domestic to international circles, to encourage friends and peers to fill out. They also sent it to several high schools' campus confession walls for other schools in the area to see. The questionnaire was even sent to teachers from extra-curricular classes. Then, they were advertised to more high school students taking courses from the same learning center. Through these efforts, the researchers collected 136 valid data, which greatly benefited further investigation.

The researchers collected the data from the questionnaire results and utilized qualitative methods to analyze the influential factors of college selection.

We created the website on Github, aiming to provide a personalized website for high scholars’ college selection.

After deciding which type of project to carry out, the six researchers brainstormed constantly and finally came up with a suitable topic. Over the next month, our innovative solution has completed the basic survey questionnaire, successfully collected data, and laid the groundwork for the final website construction. We publicized the questionnaire on the 16th of December, receiving 136 valid questionnaires. Then, we analyzed the data. After one week, the results clarified what we needed to showcase on our web page.

Currently, we have the finished website, naming it collegegenerator.cn. The registered website is still under domain application. It will meet with us soon. In the meantime, we finished this paper.

Based on analysis of the 136 data from the questionnaire, we found the employment prospect of the university is the most prioritized factor. Followed by academic factors, environment, cost of living, and campus culture. The following are the results of our analysis.

There is one sub-question under the first main question, involving basic information about the students who filled out the questionnaire, i.e., the grade of the student, and whether the student is from the International Department or the Domestic Department.

The pie chart shows that the questionnaires came mainly from the International Department (58.09%), which is more in line with our expected source of questionnaires. The largest percentage of the questionnaires came from Grade 10 in the International Department, followed by Grade 10 students in the Domestic Department. The cause of the higher number of completed questionnaires in Grade 10 is related to our social circle.

There are seven sub-questions under the second main question, investigating aspects related to the evaluation of the importance of academic factors, campus environment, living expenses, job prospects, and campus culture^¹.

The bar graph above can help us evaluate the importance of the five main factors when students consider whether a college fits them or not on the macroscopic level. The higher the score, the more important the factor. In this way, when designing the website, we will put the most important factor in the most prominent place in the web panel.

The bar graph above shows the average score for each question under the first sub-question. This can help us evaluate the importance of the six factors regarding “Academic Factors” when students consider whether a college fits them or not. The higher the score, the more important the factor. In this way, when designing the website, we will put the most important factor in the most prominent place in the web panel under the “Academic Factors” part.

Like the “Academic Factors” part, each of the five factors has its own more specific factors. In the campus environment part, the important factors from high to low are the following: campus facilities, the safety of the surrounding community, surrounding community convenience, geographic location, campus size, and degree of campus greening. In the cost of living part, the important factors from high to low are the following: consumption level of the surrounding community, tuition and scholarships, and availability of accommodation. In the employment prospect part, the important factors from high to low are the following: occupation rate, internships, and alumni networks. In the campus culture part, the important factors from high to low are the following: the school philosophy, featured societies, and the percentage of international students on campus.

College selection is arguably one of the most critical decisions for international students, as it not only determines their academic path but also where they will spend a significant portion of their lives. Numerous organizations currently offer guidance for students' future plans; however, there is a scarcity of non-profit platforms that empower students to make choices, particularly in alignment with their individual personalities.

Should this program successfully garner public attention, we anticipate the possibility of further collaboration with esteemed institutions such as the College Board, as well as schools that require assistance in guiding students through the college selection process.

Regrettably, due to the demanding nature of our schedules, the website is not yet flawless. We are committed to ongoing improvements, focusing on enhancing both the aesthetic appeal and the substantive content of the website. Moreover, a second round of research is imperative to assess whether our website effectively targets and addresses the challenges students face when choosing between colleges. We remain dedicated to continuous learning and improvement, with the ultimate goal of maximizing the utility and efficacy of this program.

Por, N., Say, C., & Mov, S. (2024). Factors influencing students' decision in choosing universities: Build Bright University students. Jurnal As-Salam, 8(1), 1-15.

Alfattal, E. (2017). International students’ college choice is different! International Journal of Educational Management, 31(7), 930-943.

1 In this chart, the average score for campus environment appears slightly higher than academics, however in a further up question of ranking these five factors in the order they consider when choosing a university, academics appeared much higher (roughly 2 points higher), so we put academics into higher priority.