Syllabae

Story

Syllabae is an iOS app that helps students manage their courseload by turning their syllabi into tasks with reminders.

The idea came from a few overlapping observations.

In my current role, I spend a lot of time thinking about student problems. One that kept surfacing was how overwhelming the start of a semester can be—students receive four or five syllabi at once, each packed with dates, assignments, and expectations, all formatted differently.

I saw this play out firsthand. A close friend in law school constantly complained about needing to dig back through syllabi just to figure out what was due in a given week. The information existed, but it wasn’t actionable.

I also wanted to push myself technically. I was curious how far I could go building a real, consumer-facing iOS app using AI-assisted development.

Approach

Syllabae focuses on a simple workflow.

Students upload their syllabi. AI processes the documents and extracts assignments, deadlines, and obligations. Those items are converted into tasks, mapped onto a calendar with weekly and monthly views, and paired with reminders ahead of each due date.

Why it matters

The product is about reducing cognitive load for busy students. Instead of repeatedly referencing static documents, students get a clear, living view of what they need to do and when.

Building Syllabae has also sharpened how I think about requirements. When working with AI coding agents, a strong vision and well-structured PRD are essential. I’ve learned how small ambiguities in requirements compound quickly, and how precise problem framing leads to dramatically better outcomes.

Syllabae reflects my approach to product work: understand the real burden users carry, translate complexity into simple systems, and be deliberate about how things are built.