College has become more and more reliant on technology. Gone are the days of professors telling you to put your phone away in class. Now they often ask you to have it out to take attendance and answer quiz questions. Want to get a head start on getting ready for school? Download these apps for college students to prepare!
Canvas
Both The University of Texas and Texas State use Canvas as their learning management system. Canvas will be the most important app for college students you use in college. Professors will send you assignments, readings, and anything else you need for their class. You can also direct message professors and other students from Canvas . Make sure you use Canvas’ calendar to stay up-to-date on your assignments, and always turn in your assignments before the marked deadline so they’re not counted as late!
Squarecap
Another app for college students that several professors at UT use is Squarecap. It is a more affordable replacement to iClicker. Through it they will take attendance (the app uses GPS to make sure you’re in the classroom) and give quizzes. You can also post questions for the professor during lecture if you don’t understand something. If you are a professor, I recommend Squarecap. It’s easy to use for both students and professors.
Quizlet
Paper flashcards are a thing of the past. Quizlet is a digital flashcard app that allows you to carry your study materials with you wherever you go. You can even search the flashcard database for pre-made flashcards. If you search your class name and unit, sometimes you can even find flashcards for a specific class!
Google Drive
Google Drive is the top collaboration tool used among college students. People share notes, work on presentations, and give each other feedback on essays using Drive. I recommend making a class-wide Google Doc to study for each test and invite people in your class to help out either through Groupme or Canvas. It makes it way easier to study when you have several people tackling the material.
GroupMe
Most clubs and organizations use Groupme to communicate. Students also usually make a Groupme for their classes so they have a space to ask about assignments and get help with studying. It’s useful when you’re not sure how your professor wants something formatted or if you’re having trouble doing the assignment itself. Check out how to run a study group like a boss!
Zotero
As an English major, I recommend Zotero for all your citation needs. It is the best citation app for college students. Unfortunately most online citation generators are no longer free, but Zotero is still free and reliable . You can make project folders to keep your citations organized, and can even mass export your citations into different formats.
Venmo
This isn’t an academic recommendation but its something you’ll need anyway. Venmo is an app that lets you send money to your friends. Whether its splitting a Lyft or a pizza, you’ll need it to pay your friends back when you split something.
Lyft, Lime, and Bird
If you don’t have a car in college, use ridesharing apps for college students such as Lyft to go long distances. Universities often have promotions to give you discounts during certain events. For shorter distances use Lime and Bird, scooter rental apps. You can use these to get around campus if you’re running late or if you need to walk a long distance.
bSafe
If you go to the University of Texas, I HIGHLY recommend using SureRide to get home after dark. The University partnered with Lyft to give students free rides home from 11pm to 4am. Campus has been unsafe these past five years, and you never know what might happen if you walk home alone after dark. Texas State has the Bobcat Shuttle that you can use to safely get home after dark. If you can’t use SureRide or the Bobcat Shuttle for whatever reason, at least download an app for college students like bSafe. When you hit an alarm, it will send your location to your chosen emergency contacts and will record audio and video. If you want to be proactive, it will let your emergency contacts track your location as you walk home.
Apps for college students
Going off to college can be intimidating. Use these apps for college students to make the transition easier and succeed in your classes! Are you interested in a career in IT? Shoot us an email to get advice on the industry!
