During his senior year at The University of Memphis, recent graduate Rafi Chowdhury had an idea to launch a website equipped with useful information for current students.
“As I was going through college, there were a lot of things that I found out about a little too late,” Chowdhury said. “For example, if you do not have a computer, and you know that you can check out a laptop from the library for up to four hours, you wouldn’t stay in the tech hub all night.”
Chowdhury said there should be some type of platform for students to learn about all of the hacks that would make college life at U of M easier.
“Sticking around campus long enough will get you tips and advice, but that requires a certain amount of luck, and sometimes you hear the helpful hints too late,” Eliana Silbermann, senior psychology major, said.
“It would have been nice to have all this information in the same place and directly from other students in the short format,” she said.
Initially, Chowdhury was going to create a blog filled with tips, but he expanded his idea while applying to the MBA program at the University. He implemented a full website into his business proposal.
Since Chowdhury does not have a background in computer science, he approached Nazir Saleheen, who is pursuing a doctorate in computer science. Saleheen said the website was a great idea, and he suggested that they have a master calendar of events that students may not know about. This portion of the website would be for things that are not scheduled directly through the University.
Saleheen joined as Chowdhury’s business partner, and they created MyCampusHacks.com. They also hired a coder for the website, Fahad Polash, who is pursuing a doctorate in computer science as well.
They decided to use the name, MyCampusHacks, because of their goal to expand the website to other colleges. Chowdhury said if the website works well at the U of M Campus, they will seek out other schools.
The beta version of the website is expected to launch on Aug. 30. The main goal after the launch date is to get students involved on campus.
Chowdhury and Saleheen want students to be able to communicate with each other and navigate through what would otherwise be a difficult path.
