GradGuru, an application newly released and not commonly known, offers students help to transfer faster.
The phone app was officially released Aug. 20 and was designed to help students with the transferring process by sending them notifications of important dates, tips and inspiring messages, similar to a text message.
Lili Mano, content developer and app blogger, wrote in an email that the company researched about what programs, practices, actions and tools would increase community college students’ success over the past year.
The app is designed to assist students in planning their schedules in advance. Mano hopes the app will take the stress off students. She encourages students to follow the tips because it helps with the transferring process.
The app may be slowly catching onat De Anza College. Mano writes that 250 downloads out of over 700 were from De Anza students.
Mariela Garcia, 20, international relations major, does not have the app herself but is interested in the notifications it includes.
“I feel it’s convenient. I know that I can find the information in other places, so I have no excuse. I really like the deadlines,” Garcia said.
DASB senate member Siyum Kim, 24, sociology major said he did not hear about the app before testing it out on this reporter’s phone.
“The deadline is quite convenient [because] you can add it to your calendar,” said Kim. “A lot of students don’t remember when to drop [a class].”
He said the app would be more convenient if it had practical tips for transferring.
GradGuru can be customized by allowing students to pick a college where they have taken the most courses. GradGuru syncs with the college’s information and gives tips and a calendar with all the upcoming events.
If a school that a student is admitted to is not part of the list of schools provided by the GradGuru app, students can send an email to [email protected].
Mano writes that the app is a way to help students achieve and succeed.
“Students will benefit from having better organization and time management from the deadline reminders and better information from the tips,” wrote Mano. “Students should use that app because it was built specifically for them.”