College today and college when our parents were still in school are two different worlds. Granted, some advice to their incoming freshmen babies will still be relevant because some things that never change. But in a digital age with the world of the smartphone in the forefront, it’s good to know what kind of apps are needed to make college easier than it was decades ago.
1. Venmo
Venmo is a safe and user-friendly app that lets you send payments to friends or family members through your phone. If you ever need to split the bill with a big group, this saves you time at the ATM and acquiring your exact change. It’s a hot app in colleges. Especially at SLU, where many of the clubs and organizations sell their merchandise via Venmo. As a college student, you’re not always going to have cash on your hand, so Venmo is the way to go!
2. Uber
Uber, as many should know by now, is a mobile taxi service. Just allow location services to track your current location and the nearest Uber driver will get you where you need to be in no time. If you’re in an urban area with very accessible public transportation, or if you have a car, you probably wouldn’t think of needing this app. But it doesn’t hurt to have it on your phone just in case. At SLU, the MetroLink makes it pretty easy to get around St. Louis. Just remember that sometimes it can be a little daunting taking the train at night.
3. GroupMe
Fact: You will be added in numerous group chats. If you plan to be even slightly involved, chances are your new activities and organizations will throw you into a group chat. GroupMe is the best app for collaborative chats because it compromises the nasty divide between Android and iOS devices. So, save yourself the time and nagging from everyone to get it and be proactive – DOWNLOAD GROUPME!
4. Outlook App
SLU’s Wi-Fi fiasco was a consensual pain in the butt, but it is still debatable that SLU saying goodbye to Google still tops 2017’s most disappointing technological moments. “The Great Migration” – as it was called by many – sucked . But it’s what we have to work with. Perhaps the biggest benefit with the migration is that by downloading the Outlook App on your smartphone (Android & iOS), you can see your mail AND your calendar. With Google, you needed to have the 2 separate apps, Gmail and Google calendar. Also, to those freshman still getting into the swing of things and not sure how college works yet: Check. Your. Emails. This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are some who still haven’t even logged into their account yet. Email is the mode of communication to and from your professors. It is highly recommended that it’s accessible by smartphone in case you do get a 6:15 am email that your 8:00 am class is cancelled. If you do not periodically check your email, you will probably be that person that goes to class to find no one is there (me second semester freshman year). Email is life.
Honorable Mentions
Mint – Helps you budget what you spend.
MyFitnessPal – Food and fitness tracker to stay on top of your physical health.
GroupOn – Gets you those awesome deals on a college student budget.