Today, when your smartphone is literally the only item you actually need to survive in your day to day life, apps have become essential. Stuck in a long queue? Play games on your phone, listen to music, or video chat with your friends. Forgot your notebook and need to take notes in class? Use the notes app on your phone, Google docs, pages, or one of the other many apps available to you. This can be extended by some of my favorite apps, mentioned below, which aren’t used so prevalently, but are extremely convenient and will make your life, simpler, convenient, and more enjoyable. Here are 4 of my favorite apps:
1. DuolingoDuolingo is the perfect app for you if you want to learn a new language from scratch, or practice one you know but aren’t proficient in. It teaches you the language through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. You can also interact with people learning the same language as you through clubs, which are groups you can join or create on the app, and other cool features. Once you’ve crossed a few stages and can construct basic sentences, the app allows you to have private conversations with a computer operated character. If you ever plan on visiting a foreign country, an amazing way to use the app would also be to learn a few basic words and vocabulary to help you during your trip! Since I’ve been learning German in college for a year and hope to continue learning it, the app is of immense help to me to practice and revise.
2. Vent
As the name may suggest, this app is the perfect place to vent your emotions and frustrations to a stranger. The center of the app is basically your wall, on which you get to write how you’re feeling with a variety of standard emotions expressing your mood. There are over 100 free emotions ranging from your basic moods such as happy and sad to ones like anxious, hungry, supportive, and so on. Once you’ve made your post, anyone (if you choose to have a public account) can see your post as it goes on the main feed of the app and the viewer doesn’t have to be listening (basically the equivalent of following on the app) to you. However, if you have a private account, only your listeners can view your vent. These people can then reply to your vent through comments or features of likes, hugs, ughs, lols, etc. depending on the mood you’ve chosen. In addition to this, the app also allows you to privately message people as well, and has another private messaging service set up called “kokobot” which is a computer controlled system which anonymously gives you messages it has received from other users who are venting or asking for advice and you can choose to respond to the advice which will reach the user anonymously. You can also send messages to “kokobot”, which will then forward your issue to another user without your username or identity being revealed.
3. ClueThis app is a menstrual cycle tracker and helps you see how long your average cycle lasts, what your predicted period date is, and when your fertility window period will occur. It also keeps information on your bleeding history, pain that occurs, moods, sleep cycle, sexual activity, energy levels, and several other things allowing you to note any relevant patterns. It also allows you to view or share the cycles of others, with consent from both parties, if you’d choose to do so. The app also gives you a lot of general information on periods that one should know.
4. The Homework AppThis app not only allows you to keep track of your day to day schedule, but allows you to have sections for all your due tasks, due dates, and completed tasks, along with details like reminders, notes, subtasks, etc. to do with them. You can add contact details of your professors, their office locations and office hours, along with several other useful things. This app is a great way to stay on top of all your work with just one app, rather than having a separate list of work due, calendar and class schedule, contact information for professors, etc.
These apps are extremely easy to use and helpful, and make learning, venting, and keeping track of your period cycle and work more entertaining than you’d believe. If you have heard of these apps, but don’t have them downloaded, or if haven’t heard of them at all, get started now!
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