Ashley Shalna knows how hard it can be to meet new friends on campus.
The UF chemical engineering freshman spends time with her roommates and adjusting to life away from home.
“It’s really hard to actually meet people and meet up with them later and be their friend,” Shalna said, “because you go into calc, and there are 400 students and you sit next to someone new every day, and even if you exchange your name and your number, you’re probably not going to see them again.”
But a new social networking app created by two Princeton University students could change that.
Princeton students Vaidhy Murti and Michael Pinsky launched the Friendsy mobile app earlier this year with the help of Dylan Sewell, a Dartmouth engineering senior.
“Our lone requirement of a .edu email address, along with our moderated content, creates a safe environment for students to connect with each other,” Sewell wrote in an email.
Students interact on the app anonymously, but if mutual feelings develop between two users, they have the option of revealing their identity.
“We’re not trying to get rid of face-to-face interaction,” Sewell said. “It’s just the very first step where you’re a little nervous of putting yourself out there.”
The app will be available to UF students sometime this Fall.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 9/10/2014 under the headline "App for meeting up"]
