I recently got together for an exclusive interview with Emory graduate, Ladi Fatade, to discuss the launch of his and his partners’ new app: My101. The app developers include Emory alumni Ladi Fatade, Imad Abusam, Azmi Abusam and GSU graduate Jacob Little.
As it turns out, the IOS app, which can also be downloaded by Android users and other service providers, began first as an experiment for Emory students. Once it took off, a great deal of the Emory student body was buzzing with a new way to communicate and meet classmates.
According to the website, “My101 is the next generation tool that empowers university students to organize and collaborate like never before.” When I asked Fatade what he meant by this statement he said, “Students aren’t on Facebook, it’s like a jungle on there. Students are barely on LinkedIn as well. My101 is exclusively for college students and will help students meet and network with people they may have never met before.”
The app allows students to access classes, groups, private chats in or outside of their department. Although the app began at Emory University, the full scale launch was held at GSU. Students saw a need for this and by the first three weeks they had about 500 users. My101 not only let students search classes on campus and the recreation center, but also share files since the app integrates with Google docs.
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“Opportunities to meet people on campus are made easier with My101,” said Imad Abusam. “At GSU you only meet 4,000 to 6,000 people all four years, you rarely get to meet a lot of other students. The tools are hardly there to network and access the huge network that lies at GSU. “The vicinity at GSU is enormous and this is the tool that will allow students to network with each other,” said Abusam.
The developers are focusing more on the details of this tool to be highly effective in the way students meet and broadcast themselves to other students. No app has accomplished a college-only student community that allows them to engage socially, but also academically. The goal is to make sure that the My101 app is the center of college experience for students.
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My101 is currently being updated to include a new networking feature that we’ll see in these coming months. But for now we can’t get enough of it! Download it now for free in the Apple Store and get connected!