College is intimidating, especially if you are a teenager. Not just the amount of intellectual hard work, but in navigating all the ins and outs of the bureaucracy which can determine whether or not you graduate with crippling debt, or whether you graduate at all. The idea of "Help" and "Mentorship" needs to be formally institutionalized, to support those who need grants and scholarships the most. The top 1% already know how to navigate the economic system for all advantages; the rest of us need support and access to these same strategies. The designers of these processes themselves need to focus on helping out the neediest early on. College has turned into a "survival of the fittest", in terms of economic and social help, NOT academics. College completion rates are stagnant, according to this NYTimes article . "Need-blind" admissions and increasing grants are wonderful, but the system breaks down on a deeper level. High schoolers are...
UX, CX & What Your Audience is Really Seeing