Kamrin Baker
DIGITAL EDITOR
It’s not rocket science to list the apps most college students have on their phone: Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook– maybe even Tinder. Beyond the typical social media landscape, young people deserve more than to be generalized about their smart phone uses or dating apps. However, as a young person, I feel relevant enough to recommend some more (free) apps that might make other young lives easier.
I know that limited iPhone storage is precious cargo, people, so trust me when I say I won’t steer you wrong with these apps.
1. UNOmaha
Unless you live under a rock (or, like, are a grad student with a life beyond campus) you’ve probably heard about this year’s brand new UNO app. Including a mobile MavCard and a shuttle bus tracker, it’s everything we’ve wanted for the last decade. Thanks for coming through, UNO.
Price: Free (but I mean, our student fees probably created it)
Availability: for both Apple and Android
Main use: Campus information
2. Daylio
Depending on course load, social pressures, and the rising mental health crisis, college students often experience a whirlwind of emotions. Daylio is a mood tracking app that helps you mark how you’re feeling and when you’re feeling it. You can mark your mood, set reminders to do so, and track your activities to see what makes you feel healthiest. And for me, someone with outrageous anxiety, I can mark when I took certain medications to see how they are helping me. It might not be the most glamorous, but honestly, the mood emojis are pretty cute, and I’m so thankful to have a home base to check on myself.
Price: free, but includes app upgrades
Availability: for both Apple and Android
Main use: mental health tracking
3. Venmo
While Venmo isn’t exactly ground-breaking to many of us, it’s definitely a life saver and deserves to be included in this list. For our oftentimes cashless generation, Venmo allows people to share payments and request or send money to one another using saved information/credit cards. Stopping by Taco Bell after class and you don’t have your wallet on you? Venmo your pal a nice virtual Lincoln after you chow down on $5 worth of nacho fries.
Venmo has also recently introduced its own debit card, which pulls money right out of your Venmo bank balance, removing the middleman of transferring a few bucks to your actual bank account.
Price: free
Availability: for both Apple and Android
Main use: banking
4. Your bank’s mobile app
Speaking of being smart with money, I must also suggest you download your bank’s mobile app. Almost every company has one now, which allows you to check your balances, deposit checks, transfer money, find ATM locations, and you know, have the peace of mind that you know where your money is at any given time.
I went my freshman and sophomore years without my banking app, and I’m honestly shocked I even have money left to check on. It is extremely helpful to be able to check yourself before you wreck yourself… financially.
Price: usually free, but depends on the specifics of your bank
Availability: depends on the app, but generally for both Apple and Android
Main use: banking
5. Target
Another money-saver (if you can call it that after a “quick errand”) is Target’s app. While most big box stores have their own app, I haven’t found any to be as extremely helpful as Target’s. And I love Target. You can shop online, create a shopping list, search for products, coupons and in-store item availability, and you can scroll through literally hundreds of offers in the Cartwheel section. There is also a feature that allows you to scan an item’s SKU number to see if there are any sales or offers in the app while you’re shopping. It’s kind of like having your own personal extreme-couponer inside your little red cart.
OK, maybe not an extreme-couponer, but it’s still quite handy.
Price: free
Availability: for both Apple and Android
Main use: feeling less guilty about your Target run
6. bSafe
Regardless of college enrollment, bSafe helps people to feel safe when they are out alone. With an alarm button, a feature that allows you to contact guardians (whether parents, loved ones, or friends) in an emergency, live-streaming of a situation, and voice activation, if you have easy access to this app, you can feel a little more comfortable facing the world alone.
Price: free
Availability: for both Apple and Android (one of the only safety apps I could find for both systems)
Main use: safety
7. Pocket Points
Quite a few students already take advantage of this app, but Pocket Points is a program that encourages students to get off their smart phones in class by bribing them with some sweet deals. Simply log into the app, put your phone in your bag (or, dare I say, your pocket) and earn points for not using it on campus. Those points translate into free food, coupons for online retailers, or even a deal at a local salon. The only catch is that your location has to be somewhere on campus for you to earn points, so you will have to come up with your own focusing tactic if you want to study at home.
Price: free
Availability: for both Apple and Android
Main use: decrease technology use
8. Sweatcoin
Similarly to Pocket Points, Sweatcoin virtually rewards you for things you should already be doing. Turn on the app, and allow your steps to translate into currency. You must be outside for your exercise to count (moving from building to building on campus, for example), and you will earn points (or coins) for your effort. You can trade those points in for a variety of prizes– one being an Amazon gift card. If you’re a real thrill seeker and work out regularly, you can even gather enough points to win some big ticket items like an iPhone 8 or PayPal cash.
Price: free
Availability: for both Apple and Android
Main use: encouraging physical activity
9. Insight Timer
While the internet tends to boast about subscription-based meditation apps (like Calm), Insight Timer is a free and easy way to ease into meditation. For the average college student, who is often stressed more than they are relaxed, this app is a great resource to combat tension. With a map that shows you others in the world who are doing the same thing as you and other lecture-based meditations, there are many options. The app also has a bell feature with a timer that can track your progress with every quick meditation.
Price: free, but with available upgrades or meditations for purchase
Availability: for both Apple and Android
Main use: meditation/health
10. Quizlet
I know a lot of people use Quizlet to confirm answers on homework or quizzes, but it is truly a wonderful tool for studying. Making flash cards and playing matching games or using virtual study techniques has saved me more than once when it came time for a test or quiz in class. As someone who has trouble just staring at a textbook, this is a much more interactive option that allows me to understand material in a way that works for me.
Price: free, but with the option to upgrade to Quizlet Plus for $$$
Availability: for both Apple and Android
Main use: studying
