Where should I eat tonight? How do I get there? Wait, what is my professor’s email? Are the Illini winning? Do you often find yourself asking yourself these questions? All of these and more can be answered with the hottest app for college students, OneSchool.
OneSchool is an app that puts your entire campus at your fingertips.
“The OneSchool mobile app is designed for students to navigate college campuses and connect with classmates easily. Within a single app, students can discover the best lunch spots, buy textbooks, find their classroom on the go, and more.” OneSchool helps make a large campus like ours seem much smaller, intimate, and manageable. UIUC is one of the first eight schools to be offered Oneschool, making us some of the first students to use it!
Start downloading the app now, by searching “OneSchool” in the App Store or downloading it via web http://iphone.oneschool.com/, as you read a Q&A between HC and OneSchool CEO and Co-Founder, David Adewumi!
Her Campus Illinois: Social networking is a large part of college student’s lives, making it easier for studentsto communicate with each other. However, it is arguable that social networking has created a gap between the current college age population and older generations like most professors. How can OneSchool help bridge this gap?
David Adewumi: OneSchool puts the practical information students need for the college lifestyle all in one app. Students can browse the campus maps, find course listings, discover nearby restaurants, check sports scores, access a directory of professor contact info, and more on their smartphone. We pull publicly available information and make it easily accessible at students’ fingertips. We don’t have to work directly with professors or admins to get this information, but we’ve already had both university admins and students requesting we bring the app to their school.
OneSchool provides value for college-age students and other, older members on campus because we offer practical information. Our app is ultimately targeted more toward students but we do find that we’re bridging the gap because our app is a utility first and the social aspects just add value beyond that. Both students and professors on campus check the sports schedule, want to track the bus, or use the school map for instance.
HC Illinois: What makes the OneSchool App better than our University’s app that gives university news, maps, event calendars, etc.?
DA: We’re constantly updating our app to provide students with the tools they need. We are putting students reps called Campus Founders on each of our launched campuses to gather on-the-ground feedback about what students want. Each university is different and Campus Founders capture insider information and unique details about student life to make sure the app is relevant for each campus.
HC Illinois: Will OneSchool branch out to other universities in the near future or was it designedspecifically for the universities that have access to it now?
DA: Yes, we will be expanding to more schools soon. We actually have a waiting list of over 150 schools who want us to bring the app to their campus and are prioritizing where to roll out next.
HC Illinois: Could you explain the “Wall” function? How is posting a status on OneSchool differentthan updating Twitter or Facebook?
DA: Our wall function lets students communicate with their fellow peers across campus in real time. We’re finding that each campus uses the wall differently; we’ve seen posts to sell a textbook, look for a roommate, find off-campus housing, ask for advice on course selection, sell tickets to a sporting event, and more.
While Facebook used to be solely for college students back in its early stages, it is now available to the entire public so messages are not as targeted. Twitter blasts messages to people beyond your campus surroundings as well. Our wall lets students communicate with others in their local, campus network.
HC Illinois: Do you need to be a student or faculty of the university to use OneSchool or will it be open to parents and the general public as well?
DA: You need a .edu email address to access OneSchool. We’re focusing on nailing the college experience.
Want to learn more about OneSchool? Visit their website http://oneschool.com and download the app on your smartphone to start connecting to our campus like you never have before!