Heading off to college this fall? Congratulations! 2014 is a great time to be a college student. Never before has there been so much amazing technology and easily accessible information to help you survive the next four years. I mean, can you imagine how your parents survived without an iPhone, or how your grandparents survived without Wikipedia? You are so lucky! And to help you get even more of a leg up, here’s a rundown of 10 amazing apps that will help you have the best possible freshman year.
1. Study Buddy
This ingenious app will help you improve your study habits by keeping track of the amount and duration of your distractions and providing you with a report on your efficiency. You’ll be a whiz at time management in no time at all. Available for iOS and Android.
2. EasyBib
Wrap up your research papers in two shakes of a lamb’s tail with this handy app that will help you create your citations in just seconds. With EasyBib, you can scan a book’s bar code or type in its name and create accurate APA, Chicago, and MLA style citations. For iOS and Android.
3. Chegg
As if tuition, fees, and room and board weren’t pricey enough, you get to campus and realize you have to spend a small fortune on textbooks that you’re only going to need for a few months. Chegg lets you rent textbooks and also gives you instant access (when available) to their electronic versions. The app is free, and a subscription runs $14.99 per month. For iOS and Android.
4. Snap2PDF
Snap2PDF lets you convert all those random notes and handouts into PDF documents without the need for a scanner. Just take a picture of a page and the app will create a text-recognizing PDF for you. For iOS.
5. Google Drive
Google Docs are super helpful for sharing documents and saving them online instead of on your precious hard drive, and now, Google Drive lets you access them anywhere, anytime, on any device. For iOS and Android.
6. Circle of 6
Designed to help keep you safe when you’re off on your own, Circle of 6 will connect you to six contacts of your choosing and lets you send them a pre-programmed “come and get me” message with your GPS location. This indispensible app won the White House’s Apps Against Abuse challenge. For iOS and Android.
7. RealCalc Scientific Calculator
Did your dog eat your scientific calculator? Or maybe you just never bought your own? With this free app, you can put all that equation-y, graph-y goodness right on your phone. For Android.
8. Venmo
Link your bank account to the Venmo app and you and your friends can pay each other back for various expenses—especially helpful for splitting up rent, groceries, and other bills among roommates. For iOS and Android.
9. Scoutmob
Scoutmob is a free app that clues you into local deals, events, restaurants, and whatever else is worth exploring around campus. It helps you find new hangouts and gives you great deals. For iOS and Android.
10. Sleep
Though a few all-nighters are inevitable, getting plenty of sleep is crucial if you want to do well in your classes. If you’re wired from drinking coffee or cramming for an exam, the Sleep app can help you relax your mind with more than a hundred sounds ranging from white noise to lullabies. For iOS.
Wishing you an amazing freshman year!
