IvyOdds.com is a tool to help students with the college applications process. With its simple interface and accurate backend, the tool hopes to take out the stress that afflicts high schoolers every year, all over the world.
Here is an interview with Shlok Sharma, the creator of IvyOdds.
Interview:
What does IvyOdds do?
IvyOdds, right now, is a college chance calculator. I had built this to give students the best idea of what their chances were at a particular college, based on their profile.
How did the idea come about?
I applied to college a little over a year ago, and even while going through the process, I thought it was really flawed. I never really thought there was anything I could do about it then, but after taking some time, I realized that I wanted to fix one of the fundamental problems with the process–information.
Information?
For a process that’s as hyped up and important as the college process, there’s a lot of contradictory information out there. From college counselors at schools (who are the most trustworthy sources but are spread thin between students) to unreliable Internet forums, the reservoir of valuable, usable information is limited.
This calculator is the first step, but it represents the idea. By providing information in a programmatic way, I want to allow students to take more control of the process, and to take a lot of stress out of it. I remember how much the college process had stressed out my peers and I, and I don’t want other classes to go through that.
How does it work?
Through the use of machine learning and statistical analysis, IvyOdds makes an accurate prediction of your chances at a particular school. We account for all the factors that a college asks for, including race, GPA, activities, and test scores.
Who are the other competitors in this field?
In this niche particularly, there isn’t really anyone that competes on the same technical level as IvyOdds. Our hope is that we eventually become the go-to choice for students when they approach the college process.
How would someone use this?
Either through the iPhone App or the website , which is being constantly updated to include the best possible features to fully attack the college process. Simply enter your test scores, GPA, extracurriculars, demographic, and the college you want to check your chances for, and then you’ll find out whether you have a likely, medium, or unlikely chance of getting in. The whole point is to better organize your process.
Where would someone go if they have questions?
If you have any specific suggestions for the tool, please go to this form. If you’re a past high school student that wants to add to IvyOdd’s dataset, please go to this link: form. And, if you have any questions, please email [email protected] or my personal email at [email protected]. My inbox is completely open.
Thank you!