One of the biggest frustrations of having roommates, especially if they’re your friends, is getting everyone to pay their portion of the rent and other expenses on time.
Luckily, one student actually did something about it. Matthew Garten, a UA business management senior, was tired of the hassle required to get his roommates to pay their share of the rent on time. So instead of sitting around and complaining about it, he made a website that would deal with all the hassle for him.
This is cool because not only is he a student like everyone else, he’s a student who developed something to serve all students nationwide. Not to mention, he’s also profiting from it.
The website, www.zsplit.com, will be open for beta users by the end of this month. It will help split the costs of expenses like rent for disorganized and clueless college students living together by notifying each individual of the bill amount. They can then authorize their bank account to pay the bill. And voila, the issue of confronting your roommates about paying rent is gone.
One of the most common problems in college is finally solved, and a special congratulations should go to Garten because he’s a student.
Excel spreadsheets, calendars taped to the refrigerator with payment deadlines, friendly emails and text messages about the upcoming bills don’t cut through the awkwardness of having to ask a friend for money.
The different uses for this site are endless: For instance, keeping everyone from eating the food you bought for yourself or getting your roommates to agree to a chore wheel. Nagging reminders come from the website, and making payments is simple and uncomplicated. And the site demonstrates what students can do on their own to proactively solve college problems.
What sets Garten apart is how he was able to readily apply what he learned from his classes to something realistic and accessible. It shows that what is learned in the classroom can actually amount to something if students take the time to see the opportunities that are out there.
Other students should seek to emulate Garten’s innovation and use it as motivation to figure out a way to solve problems people face every day and make money off of it. Everything learned in the classroom does not have a set time to actually use in the real world. The time to start creatively thinking is now.
So pick that brain and figure out what opportunities are out there in order to change life for the better, no matter how small the idea. If you’re lucky, maybe cash flow will be a reality too.
— Serena Valdez is a journalism junior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu on Twitter via @WildcatOpinions .
