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Case Description

CollegeProfile is a two-way college discovery platform designed to bridge the gap between students, colleges, and financial lenders. As a product strategist on this project, I led the effort to reimagine the onboarding experience and create a personalized journey for all stakeholders involved in the college application process.

The platform addresses a critical pain point in higher education: the overwhelming and often confusing process of college selection, application, and financing. Our research revealed that students struggle with comparing options, understanding financial aid, and tracking applications across multiple systems. Similarly, college administrators face challenges in managing applicant data efficiently, while financial lenders lack integrated tools to offer appropriate financial aid packages.

Working with a cross-functional team including Leeshma Krishna Manoj and Kaarthikeyan Andolu, we created a holistic solution that transformed this fragmented experience into a streamlined, personalized journey for all users.

Problem Statement

User Pain Points

Our research identified several critical challenges across our three user personas:

For Students:

• "I'm overwhelmed by the number of college options and don't know how to narrow them down." (83% of surveyed students struggled with college search)
• "I can't easily compare different programs across schools." (74% searched for program information)
• "Financial aid information is confusing and scattered across multiple websites." (56% had difficulty accessing financial aid details)
• "I'm anxious about missing application deadlines." (39% of students apply to 4-6 colleges on average)

For College Administrators:

• "Managing the high volume of applications with limited staff is time-consuming."
• "Our unique offerings get lost among competitors."
• "We lack adequate data analytics to predict enrollment trends and make informed decisions."

For Financial Lenders:

• "Navigating complex financial regulations while maximizing loan uptake is challenging."