One of the many new startups at Stanford, ClassOwl, is being run by four sophomores and seeks to address an interesting problem. To the founders, ClassOwl is a new solution to an old problem, offering a platform on which to achieve balance in collegiate life through control over academics and social aspects.
As Gordon Dean, one of the co-founders of the project told me over the phone, “the overall goal is to simplify your academic life and the entirety of your University experience.” To make the experience a truly exhaustive and all-encompassing one, the group will incorporate data from all parts of campus.
For example, ClassOwl is rolling out a social calendar over the next few weeks that will incorporate elements from every group on campus, all the big parties, and all the speaker series. In other words, part of the project includes a “database of the entire social calendar for the school” which can be added onto your planner as you search, allowing users to create their own unique set of events.
Next steps for the team include a video and text based chat that serves both as a peer to peer network as well as a tool that allows students to connect with TAs and other faculty outside of regular office hours. On top of “online office hours” ClassOwl will serve as a forum through which alumni can offer advice to students and address other relevant concerns such as jobs.
Ultimately, Gordon went on to add that ClassOwl was a way for Stanford students to “become more efficient, and allow for assignments and commitments to be collated together.” ClassOwl looks to become a powerful tool through which students might be able to paddle less furiously under the water.
What do you think?