Campus Picks

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  Students at registered schools can login through their school portals.

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  They can update their tags to reflect what kinds of posts they want notifications from, and even submit new posts.

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  They can browse and filter through housing and food options.

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  They can comment and provide feedback (anonymously if they would like). They can get clarifications and share info they know with others.

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  Students can send posts to friends or roommates to discuss options.

Judging info:

Beginner team

Track: Inequality

In the Figma link, I have labeled the screen I would like to be judged for visual design. Demo video is linked.

Describe the problem your solution addresses:

College is a time during which most students transition from financial dependence on their parents to financial independence. This time is often filled with confusion and uncertainty. In 2018, around 36% of college students experienced housing instability/food insecurity. This is especially difficult for students from underprivileged backgrounds/low-income families, who may not have many connections or resources to help them; many of them are unaware of the resources they could take advantage of and may hesitate to reach out for help due to the stigma surrounding financial insecurity. The main issue is the lack of awareness of campus resources. This app aims to crowdsource knowledge regarding housing and food on campus, and make it readily accessible; mobilizing a community effort to search for helpful resources and information de-stigmatizes the issues of housing instability and food insecurity.

Why did you pick this solution and how does it address the problem?

Key features of the app include: (1) One tab with housing listings and another with food listings - pantries, soup kitchens, etc. - both filterable (2) Any student can submit a listing/comment (anonymously if they’d like), and a campus admin moderates publicly-viewable information.

Example user flow: Student sees a local food pantry listing, comments asking “When are their working hours?”, gets their answer within 1-2 days, and visits the pantry to pick up food.

The app makes it very easy to share and obtain information regarding resources. It helps everybody, but especially those who are from low-income backgrounds or are hesitant to ask questions. It makes it easier to talk about financial insecurity and de-stigmatizes the search for affordable housing/food. I picked this solution because it directly focuses on the niche of college students and it is something I know would help me navigate in my own life.