First Year Starter – Your Smart University Guide

Inspiration

When I first started university, I had no idea where to find essential resources. It took me almost a full year to discover the study spaces, free software, academic help, and student perks that could have made my life easier.

After sharing some of these resources on TikTok, I realized most of my student followers didn’t know about them either. These tools like free access to Coursera, study guides, software downloads, and tutoring are available, but they’re often scattered, hidden, or hard to find.

First year is already overwhelming. You’re in a new environment, trying to manage your courses, find your way around campus, and stay on top of everything. It’s easy to feel lost or fall behind without the right support.

We built First Year Starter so students could finally have all the important information, resources, and tools in one place designed specifically to make the transition into university easier, smarter, and more connected.

What it does

First Year Starter is a smart campus companion designed to help students — especially first-years — navigate university life with confidence. The app offers:

🗺 Interactive campus maps

🧠 AI-powered syllabus extractor

📚 Free and discounted resource finder

👥 Real student advice and community wisdom

🧰 A first-year survival toolkit

🎙 Voice-enabled campus AI

It brings everything together in one simple, accessible platform so students don’t have to waste time searching.

How we built it

We built First Year Starter using:

Bolt.new as the primary development platform for layout, UI, and interactivity

Supabase for user authentication and database functionality

Gemini (via API) for AI-powered syllabus parsing, recommendations, and study tips

Netlify for hosting the web version

Figma for prototyping and design

We made sure the entire user experience runs smoothly on both desktop and mobile, using Bolt's native support for responsive design.

Challenges we ran into

Integrating file uploads and parsing syllabus content in a low-code platform like Bolt was tricky

Designing an intuitive experience that works for students from many different schools took iteration

Making AI responses feel personalized and useful for different kinds of learners

Prioritizing the most helpful features while staying within the hackathon timeline

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a functional full-stack app using Bolt.new, Supabase, Netlify, and Gemini AI

Created a clean, student-friendly interface that first-year students can easily navigate

Successfully implemented AI features like study technique quizzes and resource recommendations

Centralized essential tools and hidden university perks in one place

Designed with accessibility and first-time users in mind

Received strong feedback from students who said it solved real pain points they had in their first year

Integrated TikTok content strategy into the problem discovery and solution process

What we learned

We learned how to leverage Bolt.new as a full-stack platform, combine AI tools like Gemini with a clean UI, and most importantly how much of a difference simple, well-organized information can make for students who are just getting started.

What's next for First Year Starter – Your Smart University Guide

We’re excited to continue growing and refining First Year Starter with features that will make the app even more valuable for students:

Add fully interactive maps with real-time location tracking and GPS navigation

Expand school-specific content to more universities across Canada and globally

Improve AI personalization for study tips, course insights, and resource matching

Partner with student unions and academic support centers to integrate official resources

Launch a mobile version using Expo for iOS and Android

Include push notifications for deadlines, events, and new student perks

Let students submit their own tips, resources, and study spots to build a crowdsourced knowledge base

Add support for international students (visa info, academic writing help, cultural tips)

We want First Year Starter to be the go-to platform for anyone starting their university journey.

Built With

• bolt.new
• figma
• gemini
• netlify
• supabase