The college application process is one of the institutions that create/worsen income inequality in this country. It impedes upward mobility opportunities for urban, suburban, and rural poor.
All you need to apply to college is disposable income and free time. The SAT/ACT prep course costs money, takes time. The SAT/ACT exams cost money. The actual application to each college costs money. Visiting campus requires time and money. Scholarships cover tuition, but not books, room and board, and "fees". The financial aid applications can be manipulated by creative accounting that richer people can afford.
If we are to have an egalitarian college application process, the first tests and the first several college applications should be freely available to all.
Financial aid is a different morass that requires a more creative solution.
