MyEdu – Get to Graduation

Students who know what to expect from college are more likely to graduate in four years or less, which is one of the reasons why the creators behind MyEdu have built a web-app that educates students on the best ways to manage their unique academic careers. Students who don’t have access to experienced guidance counselors or mentors can use MyEdu to get help planning their class schedules, applying for financial aid, choosing the right professors, and getting the best deals on required textbooks and course materials.

MyEdu knows that the majority of its users are already on Facebook, which is why the app makes it easy for people to connect using their Facebook logins. Create an account and enter some basic information about yourself. If you’re a college student, MyEdu will want you to enter the name of the school you attend. One of MyEdu’s standout features is its class-scheduling planner. The application pulls data from university websites and lets you know which instructors are teaching the courses you need to take. Underneath each course title you’ll find a list of the professors teaching that course and the times when the course is offered. MyEdu will even tell you the average grade of students who’ve taken the course with each professor – a key feature for students who are looking for a way to secure a 4.0 GPA. Scheduled courses appear on your personal calendar, eliminating the chances that you’ll accidentally schedule two courses at conflicting times.

Once you’ve selected all your courses, click over to the Textbooks tab to see all the books you’ll be required to buy. MyEdu compares the prices for these books on eight different online retailers and promotes the lowest priced items. The web-app also features a Degree Timeline tool, which helps students manage their time, balance their coursework, and even fill out applications for financial aid and scholarships. For tech savvy college students, MyEdu is an application that can simplify the process of scheduling classes and make it easier to graduate in four years or less.

Practical Uses:

• Choose professors based on their actual grade records and class drop rates
• Create a class schedule without any overlapping courses
• Find student loans, scholarships, and grants that you qualify for
• Review your graduation timeline and see how many credits you’ve earned so far

Insider Tips:

• Student organizations get $1 for each student that creates a MyEdu account
• Students can search for textbooks by title, author, or ISBN
• View a professor’s grade trends and timelines to see if he is more likely to give A’s in the spring or fall semesters
• Research career options related to the major you’ve chosen

What we liked:

• MyEdu gets its historical grading data directly from the universities themselves
• Students can get accurate, up to date course schedules through the MyEdu site
• The Auto Scheduling tool will select the best schedule based on the courses a student wants to take
• MyEdu knows which textbooks are required for each course, and automatically finds the cheapest prices for those books online

What we didn’t like:

• Students who chose their professors based on the average grades they give might not necessarily be getting the best education

Alternatives:

• HeyCampus – http://www.heycampus.com
• Rate My Professor – http://www.ratemyprofessors.com
• Schedulizer – http://www.schedulizer.com

Company Info:

• Launched: January 2010
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Austin, Texas
• Founded by: Michael Crosno, Chris Chilek, and John Cunningham
• Web site: http://www.myedu.com

Costs:

• Free