For many high school seniors, the college application process can feel daunting. Between rankings, virtual tours, spreadsheets, and endless research, narrowing down the right schools can quickly become a time-consuming process. For Ben Chesed ’26, that challenge became inspiration for something bigger.

“I found myself spending over 10 hours researching colleges I didn’t even end up applying to,” Chesed said. “I wanted to create something that could save students time and help point them in the right direction.”

A Viewpoint student since First Grade, Chesed recently launched PickACampus.com, a free website and app designed to help students personalize their college search experience based on the factors that matter most to them.

The platform allows students to input factors such as GPA, SAT scores, intended major, and personal preferences, then weigh criteria like academics, athletics, social life, internships, campus setting, and student outcomes to generate customized college recommendations.

“Every student is looking for something different in a college,” Chesed said. “For me, things like business programs and football culture mattered a lot, but someone else may care more about campus size, location, or social life.”

To create the platform, Chesed developed his own mathematical ranking system using data from the Department of Education and other public sources. One of the biggest challenges, he said, was finding ways to measure more subjective aspects of college life.

“A lot of times things are opinion-based, so I had to figure out how to make the rankings more concrete and data-driven,” he said.

What began as a personal project has quickly grown into a resource used by students across the country. 

“I have people using it from all over, including California, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania,” Chesed said. “It’s really rewarding seeing how many people it’s helping.”

Chesed credits the Viewpoint community for helping him bring the project to life. Teachers, classmates, coaches, and peers tested early versions of the platform and provided feedback throughout the development process.

“Viewpoint has been so supportive,” Chesed said. “That support really helped my confidence and ambition.”

This fall, Chesed will attend Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business, where he plans to study finance. He said Dallas’ growing business landscape and opportunities within the city played a major role in his decision.

As for PickACampus, Chesed plans to continue updating and improving the platform as rankings, trends, and student priorities evolve. 

“I know how overwhelming the college process can be,” Chesed said. “If this can help students narrow things down and feel more confident about where they want to apply, then that’s the most rewarding part for me.”