Remind101 is a new website that sends MSU students text messages and e-mail alerts reminding them about assignments, due dates, exams and more. A study through the Telecommunications Department is measuring the effectiveness of this service, and TBG sat down with site founder and MSU alum Brett Kopf to see what’s going on behind the scenes at this green & white company.

Remind101 founder Brett Kopf (credit: Emily Lawler).

Q: Where did you come up with the idea for Remind 101?

A: So two years ago when I was a student I was sitting at my desk before the semester started, and I just had so many classes and so many credits that I was really overwhelmed. So I remember I had my feet sitting up on my table I was at my desk and I was just like “damn, I’ve got so much to do,” and then my friend texted me and it just hit me. Came out of nowhere. So I thought about it about two years ago and I just sat on it. I didn’t  do anything with it until about nine months ago.

Q: What was your major when you were going to MSU?

A: Food management. Agriculture. Not really related to web technology, but that’s ok. They prepared me well.

Q: So I understand you may be working with the telecom department to do maybe some grade tracking. Can you explain how that’s going to work?

The new website's homepage.

A: Sure. We partnered with Dr. Coursaris from the Telecom department and he does mobile app research. So he’s going to be researching if we can enhance student behavior so the idea is that if students receive more messages to their mobile phone reminding them to study for courses the hope is that they’ll miss less classes and turn assignments in on time. So in a perfect world essentially if we can prove that it created a weighted scale and impacted education in a small sense I guess, just because we could replicate this product millions of times.

So we’re doing some preliminary research and we hope to apply to the Department of Education for a major research grant for about $500,000.

Q: Do you do all your own web work? Are those skills you got at MSU, or from other experience?

A: Great question. So I am not a coder at all, I’m not the technical guy. I founded the company with my brother, who luckily is the techie. We actually outsourced the web development to a company called One Design Company in Chicago. And we work with two developers and one project manger, and it took us about two and a half, three months to get the product up. And so from here on out just, yeah, the core platform of the site is built now.

Q: And what made you decide to go into a family business?

A: You know, some people have thought against it but it’s the best thing to happen for my brother and I just because we have alternative assets, meaning I’m really good at one thing and he’s really good at another thing and we don’t really cross with that. So I let him do his thing with the tech side, and I do my thing with the marketing side.

People say you’ve got to be careful with that but we’re just kind of very up front and honest with each other we just kind of get it., and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with him. And obviously trust is really important and I can lay my life on the line and trust that he’ll look out for me.

Q: With the economy being what it is here, why pick Michigan to start a company in?

A: I think you should rephrase that question as why not pick Michigan. There’s a few reasons. The first thing is obviously I went to MSU. The only reason I was able to get into the position I’m in now starting this company is because I had such a great backing from the local community, the school itself and the people in the tech community. So there’s a lot of people here who have guided me and given me advice.

It’s a fantastic school to start at, it’s one of the best universities in the country, it has a great brand. And the university itself has been really supportive of this, specifically the Alumni Association. They’ve been helping us market the product and working hand in hand connecting with student and professors. So I lived here for four and a half years while in school and anyone from outside this place sees this horrible, dreadful place. But when I’m back here I really don’t see that because there really is a lot of stuff happening in tech startups. So that’s why we’re only starting at one university, we’re starting it here because we want the press to come back to this area.

Q: Any idea where you’re going next?

A: No. I’m open to staying in Michigan to start in the geographic area, maybe Western or UofM but you gotta crawl before you walk. So we’re starting to run now hopefully here and get some good feedback. We can listen to our users and see where we go from there. But as a hint, online universities might be a good space to start going after.

Q: And I watched your video, but what’s different about how you can access your course content versus other websites or paper calendars?

A: So the big differentiation between Remind101 and Google or Microsoft calendars is this: because Google and Microsoft calendars already send text message alerts, if one student or one professor adds the syllabus to our site the entire class can subscribe and press remind me and receive alerts for the semester. So it’s going to be a reverse-crowdsourcing effect. There’s a lot of value in that because usually it would take you a lot of time to add your calendar but now if there’s that one student, professor or TA to add it, everyone else can just sign on and press remind me and get alerts to your phone.

Q: So obviously people can sign up for the service and I know you mentioned some internships, but how else is the community getting involved here?

A: Yeah so we’re working with five student interns on campus. So we have interns in social media, writing, public speaking eventually sales but we’re not quite there yet. So we’re working hand in hand with them, like I said we’re working with the telecom department and the Alumni Association, and then we’re also going to be working with MSU E-net, the new entrepreneurship class at school. So I’m not quite sure, I have a meeting later today, on how we’re going to be collaborating together.

Q: What have you learned from starting your own company?

A: The first thing I would say is find a good co-founder who you really trust and who has varying assets, so “I’m good at one thing and they’re good at the other thing.” So that’s so important because you’re going to continually hit brick walls. Things are always going to go wrong, but it’s nice to have that person to help out. And also it’s really nice to have a community to back you. Not only like this area, my friends, family, even with business. So those two things. And the other thing is especially for students, if any student are reading this, just start it. I don’t know what they’re waiting for, you don’t need to wait for permission for someone to say “yes, you can do this.” There’s a lot of good resources on campus, especially with MSU E-net starting up. Feel free to reach out to me if you’re starting a company I’ll be more than happy to give you advice. But you don’t need to wait for permission to do these things. If you have an idea, go do it.

It is dark. The day has finally slipped away, and an eerie silence has fallen over campus. Outside, life has become deathly still apart from several solo travelers hurrying beneath the glow of the streetlamps. Two girls sit awake in a room. As the clock’s neon numbers flash midnight, the girl on the futon raises her head to say, “It’s starting.” Suddenly a shrill scream rips through the silence, followed by a chorus of shouts, yells and moans. Could this be the thrilling introduction to a terrifying cinematic masterpiece or simply the night of exam week for 46,000 students at Michigan State University?

As December rolls around, college students, young and old, experience the mad rush of fall semester finals. The library becomes the new hot spot and coffee is the drink of choice as students buckle down and forsake sleep for grade point averages. At MSU, exam week means a level of stress so high that it can only be released in the form of an ear-splitting scream.

The Midnight Scream is a study tradition that is quite unconventional. Although its origin is unknown, students have observed this nightly ritual for years. The tradition begins Sunday at midnight, the night of the first exam, continuing through to the end of the week.

In order to scream properly, a student must follow several steps. The first stage is to add an unhealthy amount of caffeine to the bloodstream, making screaming a plausible option for stress relief. Sugary soft drinks plus strong coffee equal one late night. The next step is to choose a prime location from which to scream. Freshman media arts major Michael Daniels saw people all over in the Brody Complex. “At twelve, I could see people in more than just the doors and their rooms but also in the stairwells and lobbies,” he said. Once a student has picked his or her location, there is only one thing left to do: scream.

Students approached the scream in various ways. The Yakeley dorm seemed to reach a high decibel, and the circular shape of Brody Complex only amplified the screams. Some preferred a short and sweet shout, while others favored lengthy conversations, cursing the very existence of exam week. “Two doors down, a kid was blasting ‘Poker Face,’ […] and we could see one room in the hall across from us flashing their lights like a strobe light,” said Alyssa Simpson, a freshman journalism major living in Case Hall.

For freshmen, fall finals are foreign territory. With the new stresses of college courses and an indecent amount of homework, this week can be one of the most difficult. “I would describe exams as stressful and frustrating,” freshman education major Julia McLean said. “Because as a freshman, it was hard to anticipate what to expect from my exams.” She said that she studied an average of eight to nine hours each day in preparation for her exams.

Luckily, finding this new level of stress was balanced out by an opportunity to release every pent up emotion. Simpson described the scream as “exhilarating, relieving and obnoxious.”

“[It was] louder than I thought it would be,” freshman media arts major Joshua Michels said. The Midnight Scream had its own Facebook event, inviting people from all over State’s campus to join in.

However, Facebook events were not always so widely used. Not every senior had the luxury of knowing about the Midnight Scream as a freshman. “I will never forget it,” music senior Melissa Butman said. “I was sitting at my desk on the very first night, and all of a sudden people started yelling and screaming at midnight. I really had no idea what was going on.” Many of the seniors only heard about the Midnight Scream after a startling first exam night as freshmen.

After three years of practice, the seniors have finally gotten the hang of college life. All day study sessions and all night cramming are no longer an abnormal part of college life. “The day before, I spent all day studying for the two exams that I had,” Butman said, making a ten hour study session seem like a walk in the park.

Despite the gap between freshmen and seniors of age and experience, exams require hours of study no matter what stage of college a student is at. The Midnight Scream serves as a unifying event for State’s student body. Daniels said, “When a lot of people participate in something like this […], it is good to have the feeling that you are not alone and that others are doing the same thing you are.” Through this simple experience, students from freshmen to fifth year share the feeling of stress, along with a gratifying release.

More than a silly diversion from studying, the Midnight Scream may be a healthy stress reliever for fall exams. According to the online medical information site WebMD, one of the best ways to relieve stress is to “let out your feelings.” The site said to, “Talk, laugh, cry and express anger when you need to.” Simpson seconded this opinion. “I [felt] a lot better!” she said. “Now that I got it out of my system, I could focus more, and I felt ready to concentrate.”

In the stress of exam week, it is important to remember a little balance. By doing something a little crazy and setting aside our academics for just a moment, students of every age have the opportunity to connect over a common experience. It fulfills our need for enjoyment on a basic level, and best of all, as Daniels puts it, “a minute of acting like a caveman never hurt anybody.”