College is an entirely different beast than high school. More studying, more homework, and more extracurriculars, make a calendar a necessity. Yet, there are so many other important resources and apps out there that can make Furman, or your life, just a bit easier to manage. When I started Furman, I though I'd be able to remember everything in my head, study the same amount I did in high school, and be just fine. That quickly turned out to be false, so I turned to find what resources could help me manage a hectic lifestyle.
A To-Do List App
It doesn't really matter which one you use, they're all about the same except for some minor things here and there. Every Sunday I go to my to-do list and write out what I need to do each day of the week and add to it as the week goes on. There's nothing that makes you feel like you have your life together more than checking off some virtual boxes.
Grade-Tracking Apps
iStudiez is the app I use, but I'm sure there's hundreds out there just like it. There's a free or paid version for most but it doesn't really matter which you get. These apps save your GPA. Not only do most sync with your schedule AND to-do lists, but you can input your classes into them, your assignments, set them to remind you to start stuff on certain dates, obviously can track your grades, and more. As soon as I get my syllabi for my classes, I sit down for an hour or two and input everything into the app and you can practically throw the syllabus away. Then, just input your grades and know how well, or not so well, you're doing.
A Good Planner
This is probably the most important in keeping your life together for both college and beyond. I prefer the Calendar App on my iPhone, but I also have a physical planner that I carry around with me. The Calendar App lets you put times and locations, but you can't add notes. Planners typically have spaces to write notes. Not to mention, writing things down helps you remember them!
Emails and Emails
Emails will be the bane of your existence in college. You'll send them, receive them, trash them, get them again, mark them as spam, then start again. The mail app on the iPhone works great, but theres plenty of other apps out there as well. Just make sure you can access your email frequently and reply with ease, it'll be important when you're studying last minute and have a question for your professor.
