Admit_Base

Home Page
Harvard College Page
Filters Applied
Login Page
Post Application

Inspiration

While brainstorming for the Hack2School track, we reflected on our own experiences navigating the college application process during senior year of high school. It was an incredibly hectic time, filled with endless Google searches like "college essay examples," "UCLA acceptance rate," "UCI average GPA," and countless other tabs open at once. We wanted to build something that would make that overwhelming process easier for future students.

What it does

Admit_Base is a centralized platform designed to simplify the college application experience. Instead of juggling countless tabs, students can browse real essays and application stats from past applicants to their prospective colleges — all in one place.

They can explore what kinds of profiles were accepted, rejected, or waitlisted, gaining insights to better prepare for their own applications. Students also contribute by uploading their own essays and application profiles, creating a growing, collaborative resource for future applicants.

How we built it

We started by sketching out the overall flow of the website, which led to creating mid-fidelity and then high-fidelity wireframes in Figma. With the designs in place, we set up our database using Supabase. For development, we built the backend with Node.js and Express.js, and the frontend with React.

Challenges we ran into

Early on, one of our first hurdles was setting up the database. We were unsure of which database and type to use since it was unfamiliar to us. Designing a relational structure with proper primary and foreign keys took careful planning to ensure the data stayed organized and scalable. Filtering and querying data based on these relationships was another learning curve, especially when pulling specific records tied to different users or schools.

As we moved into authentication, building a secure login and signup flow wasn’t just about verifying users — we had to implement session handling and create guardrails to restrict access to certain pages unless users were logged in, adding an extra layer of complexity.

Finally, even with detailed Figma designs in hand, translating the designs into a working frontend pushed us to problem-solve around layout, interactivity, and user experience to bring our vision to life.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're incredibly proud of completing a full-scale project within the tight time frame, even when we were physically exhausted. We pushed through the challenges and stayed committed to seeing it through. Beyond just finishing, we're proud that we created something deeply personal — a project that reflects our own experiences and one we hope can genuinely help others.

What we learned

We learned a lot about different types of databases and how to choose the right one based on project needs. We also realized the importance of making quick, informed decisions early on, especially around database design, to keep development smooth and efficient.

What's next for Admit_Base

We plan to implement additional features such as a "likes" system and personalized profile pages. Looking ahead, we also want to expand Admit_Base with more college-related features that encourage social connection among users. Beyond adding functionality, we aim to improve the overall user experience and design through user testing, feedback, and continuous iteration.