Our story
BestFit started in Fall 2017 as a research project while Asha and Becca were both graduate students at Teachers College, Columbia University. We bonded over our passion for education, our love for late-night $5.99 Domino’s Pizza, as well as the fact that we both attended colleges outside of our home state or country without having visited them.
Our research revealed that we were not alone: College can range from the cost of a car to the price of a home, but many people invest in it essentially sight unseen. This is why we designed BestFit as a decision-making tool: to help students fully understand how school choice can impact outcomes, and be able to identify colleges that can provide them with the support and environment they need to succeed.
— Asha & Rebecca
BestFit started in Fall 2017 as a research project while Asha and Becca were both graduate students at Teachers College, Columbia University. We bonded over our passion for education, our love for late-night $5.99 Domino’s Pizza, as well as the fact that we both attended colleges outside of our home state or country without having visited them.
Our research revealed that we were not alone: College can range from the cost of a car to the price of a home, but many people invest in it essentially sight unseen. This is why we designed BestFit as a decision-making tool: to help students fully understand how school choice can impact outcomes, and be able to identify colleges that can provide them with the support and environment they need to succeed.
— Asha & Rebecca
Our mission
Our mission is to close the gap in college graduation rates by providing every college student with a holistic support system. First-generation, underrepresented minority, and low-income students have lower graduation rates not because they lack the ability, but because they face systemic barriers in accessing the support of a college-going network.
We start by ensuring students’ basic needs are met. We empower students with a quick and easy way to compare and access critical resources so they can focus on what matters—graduating.
We envision a world where colleges emphasize programs & services over rankings, experiences of real students over diversity statistics, and student outcomes over prestige.
75%
of low-income, minority, and first-generation students who attend college won’t graduate.
Our team
Asha Owens
CEO & Co-Founder
Colleges attended
Brown University, Columbia University
What I wanted to do before college
Become a neuropsychologist
What I ended up doing
Fell in love with computer science and became a software engineer.
Favorite college class
User Interface Design
What I wish I knew before attending college
Don’t wait until the last minute to start your application. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Favorite college memory
Traveling with my friends.
Rebecca Kwee
COO & Co-Founder
Colleges attended
Columbia University
What I wanted to do before college
Be a talent scout for musicians.
What I ended up doing
Worked in finance for 3 years before becoming an educator & college advisor.
Favorite college class
Jazz
What I wish I knew before attending college
That most other people really are as clueless as you are.
Favorite college memory
My first time seeing fresh snow was my first year at college, in New York City!
Our community
The communities we serve are important to us. We’ve presented at college access workshops, helped out at college fairs, mentored at hackathons, and pitched at South by Southwest. Contact us to partner with us or inform us of interesting community events!
