CollegeCompass

Description

CollegeCompass is a platform designed to help high school students navigate the college admissions process in an organized, less stressful way. The platform allows students to create checklists, add various colleges to their list, and access important mental health & financial aid resources.

Table of Contents

The folder CollegeCompass is the project folder in the repository. In this project, there are several application folders that constitute the project.

• contacts - includes default Django files. These default Django files contain Python code that allows users to create, update, and delete contacts on the page. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • contacts.html - allows users to see their list of contacts and mentors. Users can also add new contacts on the page.
  • update_contact.html User is directed to this page if they decide to modify a contact in their list.
  • remove_contact.html - User is directed to this page if they decide to delete a contact from their list.

• createaccount - includes default Django files. These default Django files contain Python code that allows users to create an account on the platform. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • second.html - contains code (including the title overlay) that is extended in signup.html
  • signup.html - contains code for the interface the user sees when signing up for an account on the platform.

• financialaid - includes default Django files. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • financialaid.html - has a list of financial aid resources for users to access.

• health - includes default Django files. These default Django files contain Python code that allows users to input their mood for the day, maintain a list of health goals, and access external health resources. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • health.html - contains code for the user interface when the user is accessing the Health Hub on the platform.

• index - includes default Django files. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • index.html - this is the first screen that users see when they access the platform. It includes buttons and links to login, register, and learn more about the application.

• mycalendar - includes default Django files. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • calendar.html - user interface code for viewing monthly calendars and adding/deleting events.

• mycolleges - includes default Django files. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • mycolleges.html - contains code for the interface the user will see when trying to add Safety, Reach, or Match schools to their college list on the page. Users can also choose to add a new college to either of the three school lists on the page.
  • update_college.html User is directed to this page if they decide to modify a college in any list.
  • remove_college.html - User is directed to this page if they decide to delete a college from any list.

• path2college - includes default Django files. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • path2college.html - user interface code; shows options for adding GPA, test scores, and other important information that would be important to know on the path to college.

• search - includes default Django files. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • search.html - this has not been programmed yet, but it will include a search bar for users to type into and to search items on the platform.

• sent_emails - includes records of sample emails that were sent when a user requested to reset their password.

  • Although the email mechanism isn't fully functional yet, the team is currently working to write backend functionality for the mechanism.

• static - includes:

  • img folder - has a placeholder image for an image overlay.
  • Bootstrap files, including main.css, main.css.map, main.scss, style.css, and package-lock.json.
    • The two main stylesheets used on this platform are main.css and style.css.

• survey - includes default Django files. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • survey.html - this has not been programmed yet, but it will include a set of questions for the user to answer to determine their purpose for using the app and other user information, including grade, intended major, etc.

• tasks - includes default Django files. In these Django files, there are models used to create a form that allows users to create, modify, and delete items from a checklist. Also includes (in the templates folder):

  • checklist.html - Shows the checklist the user created. Users can also add new tasks to the list on the page.
  • delete.html - User is directed to this page if they decide to delete an item from their checklist.
  • update_task.html - User is directed to this page if they decide to modify an item from their checklist.

• templates - includes the following folders/files:

  • registration folder - includes first.html, which is a file that includes common HTML elements for other files. Also includes files like login.html, password_reset_complete.html, password_reset_confirm.html, and two other files, which constitute the interface that users see when they are logging in or resetting their password.
  • layout.html - contains code for the navigation bar of the platform that is extended to most other pages in the application.
  • news.html - the first screen that logged-in users see on the platform; it shows recent published news articles regarding the college admissions process.

• manage.py - default Django Python file provided to run the Django project and start the development server.

Default Django Files

• Default Django files include views.py, urls.py, admin.py, and other files that are added by default by Django in each application. For some of the applications, there is additional code beyond the default imports that includes functionality unique to the particular parent folder the Python file is in, whether that's createaccount, tasks, or others.

Installation

This project uses the Django Web Framework, so there are a few installation steps to run the project.

How to Run the Project

• Open your command prompt and clone the repository with git clone https://github.com/archishmagoli/College_App/. Then from the root of the repo:
• Install pip and Django.
  • You may need to add a few environment variables to PATH after installing Django.
• Run python manage.py runserver to start the server.
• Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/ to access the project.

References

Here are the videos and courses we referenced to create the platform:

• Creating a To-Do Application in Django
• Bootstrap Theme Customization with SASS
• CS50 - Web Programming with Python & JavaScript
• Geeks for Geeks - Django Tutorials
• Stack Overflow - for specific functionality questions

Credits

This project was created as part of the MetroHacks EmpowHer CS Competition. The main contributors to this platform are:

• Archishma Goli (Team Lead)
• Ananya Radhakrishnan
• Sophiya Singh
• Salini Ambadapudi