Archive for the ‘Press Releases’ Category

Cappex.com Marks Start of College Application Season with $1 Scholarships and $2,500 Grand Prize

New Butterfly Effect Scholarship provides micro scholarships to inspire students to make big moves in their college and scholarship searches. 

Highland Park, Ill. October 25, 2011—This fall, as high school seniors start diligently applying to colleges and scholarships, Cappex.com is offering a scholarship opportunity with a unique twist to students who want an extra piece of encouragement.

The Cappex Butterfly Effect Scholarship is designed after its namesake phenomenon where one small event, such as a butterfly flapping its wings, can lead to a huge event in the future, such as a hurricane. In this case, to mark the start of their college and scholarship searches and inspire them to continue connecting with colleges, Cappex is giving away one dollar scholarships to all high school students who apply.

“We see the dollar as a fun and symbolic gesture that is merely the first of many flutters along the way to students’ college dreams,” Cappex’s president, Chris Long, said.

Students who apply for their one dollar scholarship are given the option to receive their dollar or donate it to charity, and are also automatically eligible for the $2,500 scholarship to be awarded in January.

“At Cappex, we are very passionate about students’ college aspirations,” Long said. “We wanted to do something positive that would encourage students to work towards their higher education goals.”

High school students can apply for their dollar and much more here: www.cappex.com/butterfly

About Cappex.com

Cappex.com is a comprehensive college search and scholarship portal that helps students and parents make college decisions. In addition to more than 3,000 college profiles with student reviews and college admission prediction tools like the What Are My Chances® Calculator, Cappex.com also allows parents and students to find their match from thousands of scholarships offered by companies and organizations around the U.S. Cappex also provides $11 billion in scholarships offered by the colleges themselves. With more than 3 million student users, Cappex.com is the trusted source to help students find their ideal college fit, and where hundreds of colleges from across the U.S. and beyond go to connect with prospective students.

 

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Cappex.com Announces Rock Star and College Pro Scholarship Winners

Two  high school seniors, Maria Zilberman and Walter Chang, have been awarded Cappex’s newest scholarships, the Rock Star and the College Pro, worth a combined $7,500.

Maria Zilberman Rock Star Rock Star Scholarship Winner:
Maria Zilberman, from North Miami Beach, Fla., plans on attending college this fall to study pre-medicine.

Cappex College Pro Scholarship College Pro Scholarship Winner:
Walter Chang, from Houston, Texas, will attend college in the fall to study engineering and musical performance.

Zilberman and Chang qualified for the scholarships by playing the “Cappex Cap Challenge,” where students collect virtual “cap” badges for completing key activities in their college searches. After earning at least 10 badges in the Cap Challenge, students become eligible to apply for special Cappex-sponsored scholarships. Examples of virtual badges include:

  • Leader (Abe Lincoln hat) : For sharing leadership examples
  • Artsy (beret): For providing accomplishments in the arts
  • Volunteer (halo): For detailing how you’ve helped your community
  • Yeeehaw!!! (cowboy hat): For representing a western state
  • Road Warrior (roadster): For using the “Cappex Campus Visit Planner” to plan a college road trip
  • College Reviewer (fedora with press pass): For providing a college review

Zilberman, of North Miami Beach, Fla., qualified for the $5,000 Rock Star Scholarship by collecting 25 badges, but it was her outstanding leadership in founding her high school’s international humanitarian club that won her the scholarship.

“The Cap Challenge guided me to explore colleges, which allowed me to learn more about them through student reviews, seeing my chances and organizing my application,” Zilberman said.

Chang qualified for the College Pro Scholarship by earning 10 virtual cap badges.

Cappex.com improved my college search process tremendously, with all the key facts of each college compiled into one page and several student reviews to provide further perspective,” Chang said. He was awarded the $2,500 scholarship for his dedication as the school orchestra president who helped fundraise over $30,000 to help the school purchase a new grand piano.

“We started the Cappex Cap Challenge to give students a fun and new way to discover colleges and find matching scholarships,” said Chris Long, Cappex president.  “Maria and Walter took on the challenge and also clearly demonstrated their accomplishments improving their respective communities. We were thrilled to award our Cap Challenge scholarships to these deserving students.”

Interested in the Cappex Cap Challenge? Make your own Cappex profile now.

Looking for scholarships? Find more here!

Recent Cappex Scholarship Winners!

Cappex.com is very excited to announce our most recent scholarship winners from Spring 2011.  These students have proven that with their leadership and volunteer activities, they can make a difference in the world. Congratulations!

You can be a scholarship winner too by making a Cappex profile! Your profile will then be used as your “application” for the Cappex scholarships, like, say, these two coming up:

A GPA Isn’t Everything and I Don’t Want to Pay for College.

That’s exactly what these two superstars did to win their scholarships:

Rebecca D. A GPA Isn't Everything “A GPA Isn’t Everything” Scholarship – Winter II Scholarship Winner:
Rebecca D. from Mt. Prospect, Ill., will be attending college next fall.  During her high school career, she served as a member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and eventually its President for two school years.  The program was recognized as one of the best programs in the state and won grants from the Operation Teen Safe Driver for its success. Rebecca was also a peer tutor and a member of her school’s service organization which works to better the community and help with special needs schools as well as the elderly.

Matthew Jones I don't want t to pay “I Don’t Want to Pay for College” – Spring Scholarship Winner:
Matthew J., from Murfreesboro, Tenn., is currently a college student with a broad background in volunteer and service with his church and Boy Scouts including canned food drives, making care packages for the 101st Airborne and community clean up.  Matthew’s a talented student who channeled his passion for music and science into an awesome project where he designed, produced and then performed with two homemade instruments.

Want to see past scholarship winners? Check them out on our Facebook page!

Mobile makes its way into students’ college searches, though e-mail continues to prevail

student digital media preferences

A new study by Cappex.com shows that students are researching information on college websites from their mobile devices, though traditional channels such as email are still relied upon most to keep students on track during their college searches.

The Cappex study of more than 2,000 class of 2011 and 2012 high school students, as well as 82 college admission officers, also shows that videos are more popular for college searching than blogs on college sites.

Specific findings from the study include:

  • 86 percent of 2011 high school grads prefer e-mail for initial contact from colleges
  • Just 19 percent of 2011 high school grads want initial direct contact from colleges by cell phone, though 32 percent prefer to continue a dialogue with college admissions reps by cell phone
  • 77 percent of 2011 high school grads prefer using a mobile-friendly version of a college’s website, while 23 percent would prefer to download an app from a college
  • Class of 2012 high school students are somewhat more receptive to apps: 35 percent would prefer to download an app
  • 34 percent of colleges surveyed said that they have created a mobile-friendly version of their website. Of those that have not yet created one, two thirds plan to create one this year
  • More than 85 percent of 2011 high school seniors prefer to learn about colleges through video tours and student videos, while just 6 percent are interested in reading college blogs during their college searches

“When it comes to communicating with colleges, students are more open than ever to using their mobile devices and cell phones, though colleges need to understand their preferences,” said Chris Long, president of Cappex. “For instance, students may not want to download an app from every college they are looking at, but they will visit a college’s website using their mobile devices.”

“Colleges need to be sure to set up mobile versions of their sites to cater to growing mobile use among students,” Long added. “Additionally, colleges should continue using tried and true methods such as e-mail to make it easy for students to keep track of their interactions with colleges.”

The white paper summarizing the study can be found at http://bit.ly/irOAhX.

Now There’s an Easier Way to Plan your College Campus Visits

Cappex CarThere’s no better way to get to know a college than seeing the campus in person. It can give you insight into what student life is like, how classes are run, and where you might fit in.

And now, planning your college road trip is tremendously easy (and free) with the Cappex Campus Visit Planner™.

Instead of getting lost on the Web visiting multiple college websites and then spending time stringing all the pieces together, the Visit Planner lets you take care of all your college visits plans in one place.

Simplify the process with our college trip planning tool:

  • Choose the campuses to visit and find the best route.
  • See recommendations of other campuses nearby.
  • Let colleges know you’re interested in visiting their campus.
  • Get turn-by-turn driving directions.

You can see what the Campus Visit Planner is all about, or even start planning your college road trip, by visiting www.Cappex.com/campusvisits.

And check out the Visit Planner video!

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