As college students, our lives are really busy and can get super stressful. These are my top ten favorite apps I have on my phone and suggest that you download for reasons of organization, entertainment, stress reducing and even for when you are driving. These do not count of course the basics, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.
1) Evernote – This app is FREE from the App store! The best thing that I love about this app since I started using it this summer is the fact that it syncs to your other devices. You can access ANY note you write on your computer (there is a free download online) on your phone, iPad, iPod Touch OR iPhone. This makes the possibilities for what you can use this app for endless. The one feature I love is the check boxes you can put into a note – this is the way I organize what work I have and what work I have completed. Using this for class notes is another great option. If you need to access your notes for a paper but your computer isn’t accessible, you can get them on your phone or iPad. You have the option to pay for premium service but you really don’t need it. This app can be used on an Android and any Windows technology.
2) Pandora – this is a great way to get access to all types of music on the go. Once you log into the app (its FREE on the app store), it syncs all your channels you have set up already so you get access to a lot of different kinds of music right on your phone.
3) AnyList – this app is a great find (free also!) for anyone who likes making lists to get themselves organized. This app lets you make lists of virtually anything! If you live off campus and have an ongoing common shopping list with your roommates or suitemates if you are on campus, you can share these lists with them through the app. A really cool feature of this app is the recipes. You can decide on a recipe you want to make and the app will formulate a list of things you will need to make the recipe.
4) BuzzFeed – Yes, there is an app. Yes, it’s free. There is no reason to not download this app. This is a great way to pass the time on a boring train ride or long shuttle ride to Boston. You can easily find an article and show it to a friend without having to navigate their site on a small screen. This app will never allow yourself to get bored if you are waiting for something or need a distraction from homework or the stress of finals.
5) Waze – for all of those students out there who have cars and drive around the Greater Boston area know that traffic in this city is terrible. Waze, a new discovery for me this past vacation, is a free app that alerts you to traffic up ahead, cops up ahead, basically anything you would hit while driving you can foresee. Having used it a few times I love it and HIGHLY suggest it. Just be sure to not use it if you are driving and don’t have someone else to look at the map for you!
6) Pinterest – Pinterest has become one of my favorite sites aside from BuzzFeed to keep me occupied when I don’t want to be doing homework. I can find anything I want on their site and having it in an app form makes it an app I can use all the time, no matter where I am. The possibilities for boards of photos you can create are endless and it is a great source for recipes, information, ideas for crafts, you name it, they have it. Another big plus, also free!
7) KAMI – this is a super fun game that I discovered recently. It is free from the app store and challenges you while being a distraction that doesn’t become quite as addicting as Candy Crush. The goal of the game is to fold the beautiful colored papers so the entire screen is one color. The idea is so simple but it’s become my go-to game if I need a break from homework because I am able to play it without getting frustrated at it and focusing on it.
8) Embark BOS – this app is key if you are someone who likes going into Boston via public transportation. This app gives you the maps for every train line in Boston and gives you directions on how to get to your destination. This is a MUST HAVE for you if you are someone who does not understand how the Boston T lines work. It also gives you advisories on delays and any other information that might impact your travels. This app also includes the bus lines!
9) Yelp – if you are someone who likes exploring and finding new places to hang out with your friends or places to go out on the weekends this is a great app. It’s free and gives you ratings from restaurants to clubs and bars. It also conveniently will give you a map of where it is located in relation to where you are.
10) Google Drive – as college students I am sure we have a ton of stuff in our Google drives. This app lets you access it from ANYWHERE and open a document at any point, even if you are nowhere near your computer.