"Welcome to college! Here is your student ID, key to your residence hall, and class schedule. Now go forth and conquer!" Ah, the classic speech we all get as Freshmen. But, what about telling us how to navigate the campus, how to get involved, or even websites and apps to make my college life easier?! For those of you who still do not have answers to those questions, this one is for you.

Southeast - This is an app that is made for Southeast Missouri State University's campus. It is the perfect app to get you informed on what is happening on campus. Here are a few of the most helpful tabs on the app that you do not have to log in for: Events, Shuttle Track, Open Labs, and Important Numbers. I love the Events tab because it keeps me up to date on what is happening on campus. There are a lot of free and fun activities that organizations put on for the students. Next, the shuttle tracker comes in handy for those who never want to walk up Cardiac (or any hill on campus). The Open Labs saves you time when you are looking for an open computer on campus. Not only does it show you if computers are in use or not, but it will give you the exact number of computers that are occupied or unoccupied. Lastly, the Important Numbers tab is a lifesaver. As an event planner (for my job as a Resident Assistant and my sorority), this list of important numbers makes it easier for me to find the department I am looking for lickety-split.

Rate My Professor - This website is very helpful when it comes to choosing classes. As a first semester student, you do not realize how much a professor can impact your college career. Good or bad. In most cases, you cannot get around certain classes because they are required for your major. The one thing you do have a say in is which instructor you decide to take the class with! Students can leave reviews of teachers on this site. The rate the professors on helpfulness, clarity, and easiness. I would strongly suggest using this website to get a better insight on which instructor suits your needs.

Google Docs - This is an online system that is great for group work. I use this for group projects because anyone who has the link or permission to view the document can edit it. For example, one of the systems is just like Microsoft PowerPoint. Instead of emailing PowerPoints back and forth to your group members to edit it, you can all edit the online document and it will save automatically. They also have other systems like Microsoft Excel, Word, etc.

Wikipedia - When used correctly, this website can help a lot. Many professors have a rule against using Wikipedia because, "Anybody can go in and edit the site. Therefore, it is not credible." False. If you find a very informative page on Wikipedia for one of your assignments, look to see what sources are listed at the bottom of the page. Sources listed at the bottom are credible and could possibly give you more information on the original site!

Citation Machine - This website is very handy when listing sources at the end of your assignments. When it comes to APA or MLA, it is a lot easier to copy and paste the web browser into the Auto-fill mode search bar to formulate the correct citation format rather than typing it out by memory (but if you have MLA or APA format memorized, I applaud you). Citation Machine will NEVER fail you.

On to more Junior and Senior level apps and websites . . .

Mint - This is a great financial app. It pulls all of your financial accounts into one profile so that you can see "the big picture". This app send numerous alerts to your phone to help you stay on track with your budget and bills. It will also alert you when an unusual purchase is made and will show you how much money you are throwing away on ATM fees. This is a great app to customize your own financial college needs.

LinkedIn - Ah yes, another app to "connect" you to other people . . . but this one is different. This app should not be used to connect with friends only. Your Linked-In profile is like your online resume. Experts in your field will find you and look to see if you are a great fit for their company. Think of it this way, when applying for jobs, you usually do the hunting to find the right job for you. With Linked-In, it gives the employers a chance to look for you (which makes your job easier). With this app, you can also search for jobs and apply with one-click.

Glassdoor - On the same topic of the previous app, Glassdoor is a great website to find jobs, read company reviews, give you interview tips, and calculate future salaries. Create an account on Glassdoor to receive more information and details of companies.

There are many more helpful websites and apps, but these are the ones that any major can use. I hope these make you college career a breeze!