UCLA grad students’ website ApplyMap helps with college admissions

A new website launched by UCLA graduate students aims to help high schoolers navigate the college application process by sifting through university options and presenting students with the best matches for them.

The free website, ApplyMap, provides students with college matches based on their high school academic performance and college preferences using an algorithm crafted by its creators. Political science and statistics graduate student Dan Lim and political science graduate student Steve Palley launched the latest version of the site in July to make the college admissions process easier and more affordable for students.

The website will also provide students the option of paying various prices for additional help, such as by-the-hour counselors and essay writing assistance, Lim said.

ApplyMap has gained about 2,000 new users as of its most recent launch.

After working as a college admissions counselor in South Korea and then enrolling at UCLA in 2009, Lim said he wanted to give high school students who cannot afford private counselors a fair chance at the college admissions process.

In South Korea, Lim said he noticed students from affluent families had an advantage in the college admissions process because they were able to afford the often-steep private counselor prices.

“As things stand now, a lot of students applying for elite colleges have outside resources. They hire private counselors or go to private schools,” Palley said. “We want to democratize access to colleges.”

Palley said he hopes to eventually provide lists of interested students to colleges, which could then recruit students based on information provided by the site. So far, ApplyMap has partnered with the American Jewish University in Bel Air.

The longer a relationship exists between a college and a student prior to applying, the more likely both parties will know if the pairing is a good match, Palley said.

For example, UCLA admitted about 14,000 domestic students last year, knowing that a certain percentage of the admitted students would accept their offers. Palley said that allowing students to communicate with colleges earlier would make acceptances available for the students who are a true match for the school.

“If they mess up that calculation and a thousand more students show up, that can lead to serious issues,” Palley said. “We see our job as improving the flow of information between students and colleges.”

But Gary Clark, director of UCLA Undergraduate Admission, said UCLA would not want to partner with a specific website, because UCLA would not want to show favoritism to the applicants who use it.

“We want students to connect with us directly,” Clark said. “We encourage students to not go through a middleman, but to connect directly to our counseling staff.”

Clark said he thinks a website like ApplyMap will not be likely to change the admissions process or outcomes at large universities such as UCLA, but it could be beneficial in helping students find schools they had not previously considered.

“I think that this could provide a great service for students potentially,” Clark said. “Especially if it is something designed to encourage students to broaden their options as opposed to discourage (applying to) highly selective schools like UCLA.”

ApplyMap is currently working to open its services to international students. It is also looking to hire freelance counselors and graduate students to assist with essay writing, Lim said.