For some, college isn’t as easy as sitting down and doing work. And all too often, tutors can be too expensive. Luckily, one Rowan University student has a a solution to this dilemma.

Senior finance major John Rondi created a new app, Stunited, to help students across campuses to connect and help each other with school work.

As far as its origins, Rondi explained that the idea came to him late one night when he was up doing homework a few years ago.

“…I don’t necessarily like writing and I was up one time,” he said. “It was like 2 a.m. sophomore year… At this point I couldn’t reach out to my teacher, couldn’t call a tutor, didn’t really want to pay for online help, so I reached out to my friend who lived across the hall who was up with her math assignment.”

From there, Rondi and his friend worked out an agreement for him to help her with her math homework if she revised his paper for him. From there, the idea was formed to create an app to help students connect.

“Pretty much, I started an app called Stunited and essentially all it is, is a platform for students to match basically based on what they’re good at in school and what they need help in,” Rondi said. “So think kind of like a dating app for education…”

Once connecting based on academic strengths, students communicate through private chats to work out agreements in order to help each other.

As stated on the Stunited website, “With just a few swipes and clicks, you’ll quickly establish a network of connections with other students on your same campus and across the nation. It’s a no-brainer way to get the assistance you need while avoiding paying expensive tutors. Show off your skills and use your own unique talents and abilities to get the services you need with our free, easy-to-use mobile app and stand Stunited!”

With over 5,600 downloads since its launch in August, Rondi explained that the app has been featured on a website listing the “Top-5 Most Helpful Apps for College Students,” and even had an article written about the app by a newspaper in Aukland, New Zealand.

“We have every college [in America] in the database,” Rondi said. “But obviously my efforts have been put towards Rowan and Jersey colleges.”

For plans of the future, Rondi explained there are many directions the app can go in.

“Obviously I want it to be in the hands of every college kid in America,” he said.

Rondi then explained that the app could expand to cover other aspects beyond help for college students, including branching out to high schoolers or anyone else who wants to trade or barter their skills or services.

But in regards to the college kids already using the app, Rondi plainly said, “It’s what kids are already doing, [we’re] just making it simpler.”

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