Making It Easier To Apply To College

There's good news for parents and students facingCecil Foster, the former assistant vice president of
the college admissions puzzle. A new one-stop Webenrollment services at the University of South
site has been created to help them navigate whatDakota, says, "Families need a one-stop, trusted
can seem like an overwhelming process.resource where they can efficiently plan, prepare and
As colleges have become increasingly selective, someexecute on the entire college admissions process.
studies show the number of students who apply toAnd students need a faster and more effective
12 or more institutions has more than doubled in themethod of filling out multiple applications and keeping
past 10 years. Parents want to help, but often geteverything on track."
caught up in a maze of scholarship and financial aidEmbark has processed over a million college and
forms and lengthy applications.university applications, and now through Embark.com,
Some say technology, usually credited with makingstudents can access hundreds of applications in one
things easier, has actually made the process moreplace. After filling out just one user profile, students
complicated. While universities now make theircan apply to as many schools as they choose, saving
applications available online in PDF format, virtuallyvaluable time and preventing costly clerical errors. In
phasing out the typewriter, students still have toaddition, the site can gather important data from
manually fill out redundant biographical information andprospective students and help guide them toward
college essays one application at a time.schools that best fit their needs and capabilities.
Despite the fact that there are over 4,000 higherUnlike other college advocacy Web sites, this one
education choices in the United States, 80 percent ofdoes not make recommendations of colleges based
students apply to just 20 percent of schools, whichon paid sponsorships.
makes the process even more competitive.