Considering most college students live on their phones (yes, I’m guilty of this too), we may as well make the most out of our devices! Over the last few weeks of feeling out the ropes at school, I have stumbled upon some apps that have made my transition so much easier. Although they may not seem super necessary or useful to you now right now, one day you’ll find yourself in a time of need and these applications will ease your troubles instantly.
1. Venmo
Venmo is the best application for transferring money. It is part banking, part social media platform. You can join using your phone number or through Facebook. The gist of it is you connect the app to your checking account and can transfer money to your friends anywhere, anytime. So if you’re out and you forget your wallet but are craving late night pizza, don’t worry! Not only can you pay people back, but you can request money from anyone so the days of friends forgetting to pay you back is over, you’ll never have to worry about tracking down IOU’s again. It’s a two-step transfer that will save you in your times of need.
2. GroupMe
College is a melting pot of not only people, but also of different electronic devices and brands. There’s nothing more annoying than when you’re trying to make plans and your group message splits into four different chats because everyone has different cell phones. GroupMe is an application that is available on all smartphones. This is an easy way to keep all your group chats in one place, while, preventing your chats from splitting into a bunch of different ones which could result in you missing crucial plan information.
3. CamScanner
Considering scanners are nearly ancient, CamScanner is the way to go. If you’re a person that doesn’t like having paper handouts around, or if you need to submit a worksheet through via computer, this app helps you make a digital copy with one snap of the camera. You download the app, hold your phone over whatever document you need scanned, click the button and boom; there’s your digital copy. You can then email, upload, and/or export your scans as a PDF and JPEG. Easy.
4. SPOT
Download this app and see if they list your school! It tracks 30+ sets of public transportation in big cities and universities. It gives you access to all the various lines, and what time they run in your new area. An awesome feature on this app is that it tracks how far the bus is away from your desired station. If you’re ever in a crunch and need to get from A to B, check out SPOT and figure out your next ride.
5. Hopper
If you’re living on a student budget, as most of us are, and are away at school, odds are you’ll need to fly home, and that’s a pretty big expense. Lucky for you, Hopper, will save you bundles of cash. The app allows you to input your desired dates of travel and where you want to go. From there, Hopper will send you alerts letting you know when the cheapest airfare is. From personal use, it has easily saved me $500+. Being that it’s really easy to operate and has a known benefit, there’s no reason not to download it and start saving today.
