Study Terp

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Inspiration

As we adjust to our first year of college, we realized that studying was very different, and quite challenging. Among the bustling hours of classes, walking around, eating at dining halls, and socializing, we found it a struggle to be able to sit down and study for long periods of time without getting distracted. Finding friends to study with was also a challenge, since everyone has different schedules. With Study Terp, we wanted to help students at the University of Maryland connect with each other and form study buddy/group sessions. Not only will students be able to improve their academics, they can also form strong relationships while doing so.

What it Does

Study Terp is a study buddy matchmaker for students at the University of Maryland. Through this revolutionary social study platform, students are matched with study buddies based on classes, schedules, majors/minors, study habits, and overall compatibility. Study Terp aims to foster a supportive and collaborative learning environment on demand for every student by connecting them with like-minded peers. Say goodbye to solo study struggles and hello to a brighter, more interactive academic journey. Your perfect study buddy is just a click away!

How we Built it

We built Study Terp using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, in order to create a responsive and visually appealing web app. Our matching algorithm pairs students based on class schedules, majors, study habits, and more data collected and entered in by the user. We also ensured that our product incorporated robust user authentication and data security were integral to the project's success, so as to prevent any non-UMD students from accessing other students' data and matchmaking preferences.

Challenges we Ran Into

Creating and determining the implementation of our algorithm to match up students was our major challenge. We had to figure out how to factor in class schedules, majors, study habits, and more to ensure students would find the perfect study buddy. It took a lot of brainstorming, testing, and iteration to get it right. Additionally, we faced technical challenges during the implementation phase, such as optimizing the algorithm for performance and scalability. We also had to address security concerns related to user data and privacy. These challenges pushed us to think creatively and work as a team to find effective solutions.

Accomplishments that we're Proud of

We are proud of our idea and the potential it has to become a startup, as well as the visual aspect of our web app. We drew our own graphics and created a dark themed appearance with Maryland themed colors. Since many students are often studying at late, late hours, we wanted to make our website more accessible and comfortable to look at during any time of day. Our color palette consists of the Maryland red and gold, with muted grays and off-whites to lessen the sharp contrasts on our readers' eyes.

What we Learned

We learned and reinforced our skills in HTML and CSS, as well as how to implement algorithms in JavaScript. We spent hours trying to figure out how we were going to create our matchmaking algorithm, either with several if-statements or switch cases, or using a point system and categorizing it from there.

What's Next for Study Terp

We plan to incorporate a feature to allow students to earn points and create a reputation for themselves on our app. By doing so, we can create more incentive for UMD students to use the app. Students can then cash in their points with gift cards or discounts to local businesses and restaurants that we will partner with, which will also help us make a profit from this startup.