Stunited is the latest app for college students that connects them with other students in similar majors. Students share their skills and strengths and offer help on assignments in exchange for knowledge through the app’s network.
John Rondi is the founder and CEO of Stunited and a recent graduate of Rowan University. Stunited was launched in August of 2017 and now has been downloaded more than 10,000 times.
Users have the option to post and respond to existing questions and can swipe through profiles of other students. You can include basic information in your profile, including your name, expected year of graduation and what university you attend. You are also required to list your major and are encouraged to include what your strengths are, as well as what areas you need help in.
Stunited has a continuously growing following and has even reached students at Montclair State University.
Jessica Grafton, a junior majoring in exercise science, found this app to be incredibly helpful with her studies.
“This app has helped me with both getting my GPA up and with my upper-level science and math courses,” Grafton said. “I really like how I can relate to the users and love that this service is free.”
Jason Dubinski, a senior film production major, claims Stunited is a good place to find help for a variety of student needs.
“This app has been a lifesaver for my courses last semester and during my final year at Montclair State,” Dubinski said. “Not only has this app allowed me to find tutors, it has also allowed me to find collaborators for my film projects.”
One of Stunited’s major competitors is Chegg, but what makes Stunited stand out is the way that information is broken down, by students, for students. Rondi got his inspiration for the idea during his sophomore year when he was assigned an English essay.
Rondi knew he was not the strongest writer, but had skills in math and worked with fellow students to write his essay in exchange for tutoring them in algebra. This swapping of different skills put the idea for the app in motion and has helped many college students earn their degrees.
Stunited connects students by their specific fields of study and allows them to ask questions about their assignments. The app is a crossover between a news feed and Facebook Marketplace.
Many users create posts that simply share what assignment they have coming up and what they will offer in return for help on an assignment. Students can be matched with other users by swiping through various profiles.
In 2017, Rondi’s idea for Stunited won Rowan’s inaugural business model competition and awarded him with the first place grand prize of $4,000. The app has proven to be extremely helpful, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jacob Hunt, a Rowan University senior who is studying mechanical engineering and entrepreneurship, works with Rondi to promote the app.
“I think this app is a great concept and mixes old-schooling tutoring with a modern touch and [the app] is an innovative idea. This app has helped me with my last year of classes, especially being completely online,” Hunt said. “My major is very hard and it gets tough to keep all my assignments straight and [Stunited] is a great resource to utilize when I have trouble with my homework.”
Rondi has big plans for the future of Stunited and aspires to have the app expand its user base within the next year. The app has recently undergone a developmental change and was relaunched three months ago. The relaunch has created a lot of positive feedback from users, and the app currently has 4.7 stars out of five on the app store.
