Unifyi was set up in August this year and has since seen users from 60 countries join and 70 universities get involved. The social media website hopes to combine the professionalism of LinkedIn and the community feel of Facebook and it’s all for students. With job opportunities, meeting other students on your course before you start Uni and getting involved in societies; this new website definitely caught my attention – so I spoke with Christo, the founder of Unifyi, to see what it was all about.
The Inspiration behind Unifyi
There has always felt like a gap between Twitter and Facebook, feels Christo. There isn’t a specific website built for students with a community feel and professional prospects. “There were sites out there that gave students access to lots of great stuff but nowhere to quickly and easily find future flatmates and classmates, join clubs and societies or look for jobs all in one place”, said Christo. When I started university, the idea of meeting people was daunting, not only that, I had no idea whether people would have the same interests as me or what societies were on offer until I was bombarded with leaflets and flyers at the flourishing freshers fair. I don’t know if any of you are the same, but this overwhelming experience meant being decisive was the least of my concerns. Maybe if I had the opportunity to meet the people I’m living with before moving, and seeing all the opportunities available to me before I got here, I would have been far more comfortable with choosing different societies and events to join. Christo tells me that Unifyi is a place where all these worries are shared, and also helped to overcome – making that daunting move much easier.
Post-study
There’s something terrifying that no one really thinks about until the last year of their degree. You are going to leave education. That feeling of dread is disgusting and terrifying. If you’re lucky enough to have a graduate job ready for when you leave then that’s brilliant, but what about the vast majority who don’t? This thought has crossed my mind a lot recently. I almost doubt my skills and wonder whether I’m ready to be shoved into the ‘real world’. Christo told me that not only does Unifyi help prospective students, they also cater for post-study students. On the opportunities page, they advertise grad schemes, part time jobs and employment opportunities from a range of different areas. So that move into life is a little bit easier.
A Bigger Picture
Unifyi hopes to become the go-to networking site for students. The prospects seem very promising and as a student myself I feel it’s about time this kind of site is available to students. Not everything is as simple as we are told. You may go to uni, but your prospects of getting a job are only as good as your options. Expand on them, don’t expect them to come to you. As a journalist, Unifyi would be great to search for contacts and build a network of people that I could bounce off. It’s a brilliant platform from what I’ve found, and I’m really glad there is now a website that our generation will find easy to use.
