LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Choosing a college is far from an easy task. Just ask University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomores Kenny Morales and Wilson Overfield.
“There really weren’t any online resources to help me find a college,” Overfield, a computer science major from Ralston, said.
“If I hadn’t gotten accepted into the Raikes program I wouldn’t have attended college,” Morales, a software engineering major, said. “I saw first-hand the struggles.”
The pair’s solution: a college matching app called Find U. The roommates developed it from their dorm room this past winter break as a way to make finding the college for you easier.
“Big vision,” Morales said. “We just want to eliminate the inefficiencies with the college admission process on both sides.”
“We want students to be able to find their college as easily as colleges are able to find their next pool of students,” Overfield added.
The model is similar to many modern dating apps: High schoolers input what they want out of a college, browse universities based on those interests, and receive a personal compatibility score.
“For example it’ll match me and Harvard with a 52,” Morales said. “So we’re not that compatible. But maybe me and UNL are a 99. That allows the student to review it and have a general idea based on who they are and not a nationally ranked list.”
It’s not just the app’s inventors excited about it’s potential. The pair recently took it to a statewide pitch competition and took home the top prize of $10,000.
They say they used that money to buy two new computers, which they’ll use to continue to develop the app.
Both said that there is still work to do before the app is ready to be released to the public. One of those ideas is including the colleges in the process, allowing universities to see what kids are looking for and add to the information available for prospective students.
“We want to partner with the colleges so that we can provide more of that core information that is valuable to students,” Overfield said.
While both say there are still changes to be made before the app is able to be released, their top priority is making sure they are able to keep it free to use for students.
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