Common Sense Media Review
By Patricia Monticello Kievlan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Find scholarships, preview essays with targeted search tool.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Scholly
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
SCHOLLY: SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH has two sections: Scholarships and Essays. In the Scholarships section, students start their search by selecting their own characteristics (such as home state, GPA, and intended college major). The app then generates a list of scholarships that users can sort, explore, and save for later use. Users can choose to export their saved scholarships as a CSV (comma-separated values). The scholarship list draws from a wide range of state and national scholarships that are available both to incoming and current college students, and the developers update the scholarship list monthly. The Essays section includes five essay prompts and sample essays that touch on themes of community service, goals, knowledge, leadership, and strongest subject.
Is It Any Good?
It’s terrific to have an extensive, organized, and actively updated list of scholarships that's this accessible and personalized, but there are limitations. In terms of strengths, some excellent insights are built into the app's interface; for example, when kids select the types of scholarships they plan to target, a pop-up states that everyone who applies for need-based financial aid also should apply for merit-based aid. This is a key point that isn't obvious to most students, and it's something some kids might otherwise never hear. On the downside, some popular majors aren't included, such as English and sociology. Also, another sharing or export feature -- beyond a spreadsheet -- would expand a kid's options, especially if it includes deadlines. In terms of the essays, some aren't very well written and some have a religious slant (the words "crusade of Christian service" are used), which diminishes their usefulness for a wide audience. General essay-writing pointers might be more helpful than sample essays.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how your family will pay for college. Make sure to have this conversation early in your search process: Talking about your family's finances can be uncomfortable, but you'll be better equipped to do so before you've received acceptance letters and financial aid packages that change the conversation.
Talk about the sample essays included here. Some are good, and some are not especially well written. Talk about what makes a good college essay and what your kid might choose to write about.
Discuss ways that you and your kid can stay organized during the college-application process. How can you capture all the tasks that need to be completed? Come up with a system, either digitally or on paper, and stick to it.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Subjects : Language & Reading : writing , writing clearly
- Skills : Self-Direction : academic development , achieving goals , goal-setting , personal growth
- Pricing structure : Paid, Free (Paid accounts are $2.99)
- Release date : October 12, 2016
- Genre : Education
- Publisher : Scholly LLC
- Version : 1.15.0
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 9.0 or later
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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