Notes from a student intern
Don't just get into college.
Make college affordable.
I'm Eli, a rising senior and CollegeHound intern.
I have friends inside and outside of school who are worried about going to college, or thinking about not going at all, simply because it costs too much and could put them into serious student debt.
“I didn't want to burden me or my family, but after I got the internship and started using CollegeHound, I found that there are many steps to ease the financial burden that college is.”
CollegeHound is free. Scout is an optional paid upgrade.
Meet Eli
CollegeHound student intern
What I focused on
Scholarships, financial aid, and how the product talks to a student who is worried about cost.
What I noticed
The clearest guidance explains what matters now without burying you in every possible detail.
What I contributed
The idea that students should be able to judge a scholarship's fit before spending time on it.
What I designed
This page — its message, its audience, and what it should say to a student worried about cost.
What makes college feel financially out of reach
Information is scattered
Aid deadlines, forms, scholarship rules, and college costs all live in different places.
Eligibility is hard to judge
A scholarship can look promising right up until you reach the fine print.
The language can feel intimidating
Sticker price, net price, grants, loans, and work-study are not the same thing, and nobody explains which is which.
Scout and scholarships
Use what I saved
Scout can begin with the colleges, goals, and information already in your Binder.
Research the opportunity
It can help you research scholarship and financial aid programs offered by colleges you are considering.
Check what may have changed
It can search for current deadlines, requirements, and costs when they may have changed.
Tracking scholarships is the easy part
Once you have found a scholarship it is straightforward enough to keep track of. Working out which ones are actually within your reach, before you spend your time on them, is the part nobody helps with.
- Find opportunities Save the scholarships that look like they might be relevant to you.
- Check the fit Look at eligibility, requirements, the deadline, the award amount, and how much work the application actually is.
- Decide where to spend your time Put your hours into the stronger matches instead of treating every scholarship as equally worth it.
CollegeHound can help you organize and evaluate opportunities. Always confirm eligibility and requirements with the scholarship provider before you rely on them.
“This would help families who might be in a difficult financial situation, saving them more time, thus applying to more reasonable scholarships.”
What I looked for in helpful financial guidance
Help me judge where to spend my time
Show the likely fit, what information is still missing, and what I should confirm before I start an application.
Explain costs in plain language
Separate what is known from what is an estimate and what may still change, so the next step is clear.
Perspective Award · CollegeHound Summer Internship 2026
Eli won the Perspective Award
He saw the product through the eyes of a worried student.
“Awarded to the intern who saw the product through the eyes of a worried student.
Most people tested what the product did. Eli noticed how it felt. He reminded us that students do not only need instructions. Sometimes they also need reassurance that they are doing okay.”
Ed Psyk and Shelley Psyk · CollegeHound co-founders
Understand the cost before you commit.
Scholarships are only one part of affordability. CollegeHound can also help your family organize college costs, financial aid information, deadlines, and the questions worth researching before you make a decision.
Free CollegeHound
Save colleges, scholarships, deadlines, activities, and everything else your applications will ask for.
Scout, if you want it
The optional paid upgrade. Help making sense of what you have saved and deciding what to look at next.
CollegeHound is free. Scout is an optional paid upgrade.