Being in college comes with a lot of new responsibilities and challenges. As someone who rarely goes anywhere without my phone, the first place I looked for help was the App Store. Here's what I found...
1. Uber- getting around
This one seems pretty obvious, but that’s because it’s such a necessity! Although we all have aspirations of getting all our steps in every day or using public transportation to save some money, sometimes you just gotta splurge on an Uber during that late night commute home from the library. Lyft works just as well, and sometimes ride prices vary from app to app.
2. Transit- getting around
Uses your location to connect you to the public transportation in whichever city you’re in. You can put in a start and end point, and the app tells you which routes to take and directs you to the nearest bus stop or train station.
3. Postmates- treating yo' self
A food delivery service for your favorite restaurants that don’t deliver. Nothing motivates me to study more than takeout from my favorite Thai place. Uber Eats works, too! Some restaurants only use one service, so don't give up hope if your app doesn't have what you're looking for.
4. Venmo- mo' money, mo' problems
I can’t emphasize how important this app is. It makes going halfsies on food a million times easier. Not to mention that you will never miss an opportunity to make your friend pick up x, y or z for you because you can pay them back immediately. Venmo is like texting, but with money.
5. Qapital- mo' money, mo' problems
It’s really easy to blow through your savings during school, especially if you don’t work during the year. You can link Qapital to your debit card and make savings rules for yourself. For example, I use the round-up rule. Every time I make a purchase on my debit card, Qapital rounds my purchase up to a dollar and puts the spare change back into my savings.
There are tons of other money-saving apps you can link to your bank account. Check out Earny and Clarity Money are also great options that offer slightly different features.
6. Groupon- mo' money, mo' problems
It can be kind of hit-or-miss, but when you find a good deal on Groupon it makes all the searching worth it. I’ve seen 50 percent off Starbucks gift cards, discounted clothes, and 20 dollars for a full Japanese bathhouse experience. It's way easier than flipping through the ad section of the newspaper.
7. Ultralight- boost your aesthetic
A great photo editing app that has the same basic color correcting and noise reduction capabilities of Lightroom or Photoshop all on your phone. A great tool to use if you’re a little beyond the editing potential of Instagram or VSCO. If you want to step it up even further, download Lightroom CC.
8. My Data Manager- track your usage
Some colleges **cough cough mine** are known to have some pretty spotty wifi. This can be frustrating, and sometimes you don’t even notice when the your phone disconnects from the wifi. This drains your data. With this app you can set your monthly data allowance, and it sends you notifications whenever you’re getting ahead of schedule.
9. GroupMe- stay in the loop
I can guarantee you right now every club, dorm and group project you’re involved in will use GroupMe as its sole means of communication. Save yourself the trouble, and just download the app.
10. Houseparty- stay in the loop
I don’t know what Apple was thinking when it limited FaceTime calls to two people. Keep in touch with your highschool friend group with Houseparty with allows you to all to video chat at once from your phones.
