Inspiration
The inspiration for this project was the student loan debt crisis. Too many high schoolers are applying to college, getting hit with number after number, each bigger and scarier than the last. What could these numbers possibly mean to them when they're facing the largest purchase they've ever made? There's a disconnect for students between the numbers and what they mean in context. Our vision was to create empower students by helping them better understand the actual value of these costs and their long-term implications.
What it does
This app has two main features - tuition equivalents and budget creation. The first takes in a tuition value, then allows students to select various items that current students generally know the prices of and talk about often in casual conversation, and gives them the equivalent of tuition cost in units of the item. It gives them an understandable metric of what large tuition costs mean, for instance how many cars they could buy with that money. The second feature determines post-graduation budgeting for students. It shows how much they would need to pay monthly in order to pay off their debt in a specified time frame, as well as comparing that amount next to the average starting salary for their chosen career. This gives students an idea of what the commitment of a student loan will be long term.
How We built it
We built this project using Java in Android Studio.
Challenges We ran into
We had a lot of trouble figuring out Github at first, which was problematic since we consistently needed to merge our code with one another. By the end of the project though, all of us have a pretty good grasp.
Accomplishments that We're proud of
This was the first time 4 out of 5 of our team members used Android Studio/made an Android app, and one team member relearned Java from five years ago, and another coded for the first time.
What We learned
We learned how to use Github through our Terminal/Command Prompt and the online interface, how to branch, how to resolve merge conflicts, and overall good Github practices. We also now all have experience writing Java with Android Studio and designing an app starting from building a comprehensive storyboard.
What's next for Oh the Things You Could Buy...
Next is expansion and additional personalization. We'd like to add even more in depth budgeting, taking into account lifestyle choices such as how often one eats out and rent. We'd also like to add additional careers to gather starting salaries, possibly utilizing web scraping to update our list of the most common occupations for college graduates and our list of items so that they remain relevant over time amongst younger people.
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