I don’t think I could count on one hand the number of comments I received while I was home about my cell phone usage. My dad was the main culprit, but other family members seemed to chime in with a remark or two. While I don’t think I’m as addicted to my phone as they make me out to be, I will say that I do value my smartphone a lot. After all, I can find so much on my phone that makes my life easier! Below are some of my favorite apps that I would recommend to just about anyone in college.
1. GroupMe or another group messaging app
One of the best ways to make sure you understand the material taught in class is through study groups. GroupMe and similar apps give everyone a platform to message, and the only person who needs to worry about keeping up with everyone’s phone number is the chat’s admin user!
2. Outlook or another school email app
While my laptop is handy, I know I don’t want to be checking it every moment when my phone can easily suffice. With my Outlook app, I can be notified whenever I have an important email, such as an assignment deadline or a class cancellation!
3. Multiple social media apps
I know social media gets a bad rap, as it is what most students turn to for procrastination fuel. However, I use social media to help me connect personally to people, whether that be updating my relatives on my life’s endeavors through Facebook or seeing how well my friends outside of college are faring with their lives on Instagram.
4. Venmo or another money transferral app
If there’s one thing you’re bound to encounter walking to get a cup of coffee or a bubble sheet from the student stores, it’s a student organization’s fundraiser. It seems like every day is a new bake sale or penny wars table. But, until every club can afford a card reader, I’ll stick to paying them through Venmo, which takes money from my bank account into someone else’s. This is also helpful for all of your friends who owe you for food or gas!
5. School-related apps, such as ECU Mobile
Chances are, your school will have an app specifically geared towards your success as a student. The ECU Mobile app, for example, can pull up your course schedule or a staff directory in a matter of seconds. This may not sound like a big deal until it’s the beginning of the semester and you walk into two wrong classrooms wondering where your class is!
6. Food-related apps
This could mean food rewards apps, such as Moe’s, Starbucks, and Krispy Kreme… because who doesn’t love to earn free food from all of the eating outside of the home that they do? However, this can also mean food delivery apps, such as Postmates, UberEats, or ChowNow. Believe me, the $5 delivery charge seems like a pain until you’re stuck in the library for hours on end.
Winter break is quickly approaching, which means I’ll be running into more family and friends, some of who will probably tell me I spend too much time on my phone. This just goes to show that sometimes, the time I spend on my phone can prove to be warranted!