StudySync

About the project

StudySync was inspired by a simple problem a lot of students face: it is surprisingly hard to find reliable study partners. Group chats are messy, schedules rarely line up, and even when students want to work together, it is difficult to find someone in the same courses with similar goals. We wanted to build something that makes studying feel more structured, social, and productive instead of isolated and inconsistent.

We built StudySync as a full-stack web app that matches students based on real academic compatibility instead of random profiles. Users create a profile with details like their program, year, courses, availability, study motivations, and meeting preferences. From there, the platform calculates a compatibility score and lets users browse potential matches in a swipe-style experience, send match requests, receive notifications, and chat once both people connect.

On the technical side, we built the frontend using Next.js, React, and Tailwind CSS, and used Supabase for authentication, database storage, and real-time features. One part we are especially proud of is the custom matching system, which scores users based on shared courses, overlapping availability, similar motivations, meeting preferences, and academic background. We also tailored the experience to student life by organizing profile data around real university programs and courses.

One of the biggest things we learned was how to connect product design with backend logic under hackathon time pressure. We learned a lot about building a cleaner onboarding flow, managing state across multiple screens, integrating authentication and database logic, and thinking carefully about what actually makes two students a good match instead of just looking similar on paper.

Our biggest challenge was balancing speed with quality. It was difficult to design a matching algorithm that felt meaningful, build real-time interactions, and keep the UI consistent across the full user flow, all within a limited timeframe. Even so, we were able to build a working platform that shows how technology can make collaborative studying easier, faster, and more motivating for students.