Goodbye, Perfect College App
Three years ago, I started Perfect College App, with the mission to provide equal opportunity to every student who wants to study in the States. Three days ago, I ended the project and would like to thank the community for supporting Perfect College App.
As an international student who grew up in a foreign country, I understood how hard it could be to apply to college without counselors or consulting services. Perfect College App has received immense support and organic growth from the community. Without any marketing, I was surprised by the hundreds of visitors that came to the site every day. I also enjoyed reading the new messages from the dear readers and thank you letter from people who got into their dream schools. I am really thankful for all the readers that believe in Perfect College App. Your support meant a lot to me.
A year ago, I realized that the site needed to be revamped but couldn’t find the time. I then started a Kickstarter campaign to offset the cost. I received $105 from 3 kind backers (s/o to the anonymous sponsors) in a month without any marketing and failed the campaign.
There are various reasons behind the failure, but I also realized that one of the underpinning reason is the misaligned mindset or interest. The community are not used to the subscription model. Readers are not ready to pay for what they get. Free information should always be free. I was once in that mindset, but I have changed after studying abroad.
I was one of the fortunate kids who got introduced to a new world that I could hardly imagine exists. I started my college at Brown University. For the past two years, I had the opportunity to attend world-class lectures, have intellectual conversations with thought leaders, build side projects at hacakthons, start ventures, work at some really cool companies, etc. I am thankful for all the opportunities that challenged me from always saying yes to being thoughtful about every decision I made. There were a lot of challenging moments, but I am super grateful for every mentor, friend, and my dear family that supports me along the away.
In addition to that, much of my growth comes from the books, audios, and videos, so I would love to give back to the community that taught me so much. The network effect of Medium is huge, just as Airbnb, Uber, and all the other platforms that revolutionize the economy.
Here is my new project: Hello from the Sky. It would be a collection of essays and thoughts written on the fly (mostly on a train ride or a flight).
If you are interested in knowing more about my life, what failed or hasn’t yet failed, or just be friends, join the mailing list below!
Here’s to more love for the thriving community!
