Adulting: Essential Apps to Get You Through College
If you’re a student, there are hundreds of smartphone and tablet apps that promise to make your college experience great. Luckily for you, we’ve done the hard work and whittled down a list of the best. So for a first class honours in studying, partying, or simply being an awesome housemate, here are the essential apps.
Essential Apps to Get You Through College
Best Apps for Organisation
Being a college student means adulting hard and organising your own life. Trello (iOS & Android) is a great tool to help you get work done. It's also great when working in groups as it helps manage workflow in one place. So, whether you're working on a project or tracking your assignments, you can capture and share your to-dos from your phone, tablet or computer.
Get Dropbox (iOS & Android) and you won’t have to worry about losing your notes or coursework. Just upload your documents, photos and videos in the cloud and get them online whenever you need to, from any device. All you need is an internet connection.
For easy online access, you can keep all your passwords, credit card details and other virtual identities safe through Dashlane (iOS & Android), which uses advanced encryption. To login to any of your synced accounts, or make a payment, all you have to remember is one master password.
Best Apps for Lectures
In ye olden days, students used to go to lectures and scribble down their notes. Now, all you have to do is press record, sit back and soak up the lesson your learned professor is imparting. At revision time, it will all be there waiting for you. Notes (iOS) and LectureRecordings (Android) are particularly good. Remember to ask permission beforehand though!
Best Apps for Studying
Books. Chances are you’ll have to read at least a couple of them while in college. Scribd (iOS & Android) has millions of different documents and books you can download straight to your device.
If you’re a student of literature, CliffsNotes (iOS) will give you character and plot summaries for every novel you’re supposed to read. The audio version is a godsend too, as you can catch up anywhere – on the bus, at the gym, even on your way to the exam.
Best Apps for Revision
Revision. Even the word is enough to send your serotonin levels into a downward spiral. But with the right app, revision can be fun. Or at least easier. With GoConqr you get mind maps, flash cards, notes and quizzes to help you study. Exam Countdown (iOS) keeps track of the days until each of your exams and gives you a daily countdown to help you stay focused.
Best Apps for Finance
Making your student finances stretch is hard. No savvy student should be without Idealo (iOS and Android), a brilliant app that gathers and compares prices of over three million products from thousands of online shops This is especially great if you’re about to make a bigger than usual purchase.
Best Apps for House-shares
Conversations about money can be awkward at the best of times. Splittable (iOS) will cut all that out. It makes it easy to divvy up bills and you can track who has paid for what, so no more festering resentment about whose turn it is to buy the loo roll.
Best Apps for Cooking
When you get sick of super noodles, rice and pasta, download BigOven (iOS and Android). It has more than 350,000 recipes, so there has to be at least something you'll like and can actually cook. You can also save and share recipes easily and create a shared shopping list for your housemates. The use up leftovers functionality is especially good for budget-conscious students.
Best Apps for Staying Safe
When looking for a lift at the end of the evening, Free Now (iOS & Android) is the safest and easiest way to get home. In just two taps you can get a licensed taxi. If you don’t have cash on you, you can pay through the app – the charge comes directly out of your bank account.
Best Apps for Fitness
The fresher’s curse. The fresher’s 15. The fresher’s spread. All euphemisms for the weight most college students gain due to an unhealthy combo of late nights, spice bags and drinking. With MyFitnessPal (iOS and Android) you can log what you're eating and keep track of your calorie intake.
Couch to 5KM (iOS and Android) is a simple way for novices to get running. If you’re more serious about sport, then Strava (iOS and Android) achieves great results, allowing you to track your performance, set goals and see daily progress.
Best for Gadgets
Lose your phone in college and you’ve pretty much lost everything, including your brand-new social life. Download Find my iPhone (iOS) or Where’s my Droid (Android) and if you do leave your phone in the library or student bar, it'll be a lot easier to track down.
Renters Insurance With Liberty
For total peace of mind, consider getting renters insurance so your belongings are covered.