Balancing your workload, budgeting, and your social life at university can be stressful. Here's eight of the best apps to hack uni life.
Google Drive/Microsoft One Drive/Drop Box
At university owning a hard drive and backing up your work online is essential. Lecturers are unlikely to give you an extension if you break your laptop and lose your work. Use one of these free apps to upload your work just in case.
Free, iOS and Android
Evernote
Evernote is the ultimate notetaking app. You can input typed notes to the app or you’re your HANDWRITTEN notes which are converted to typed text. You can create planners, notebooks and organizers making studying easier. You can add pictures to your notes and audio – great if you’ve got to make notes on hard to draw graphs!
Evernote Basic is free on iOS and Android
Office Lens
This app turns your camera into a scanner. It captures high quality images (great for lectures), that you can transform into editable Word and PowerPoint files.
Free, iOS and Android
UniDays/Student Beans
Student discounts are one of the best parts of university, UNIDAYS and Student Beans allow you to show a digital student card in store to gain discounts at hundreds of retailers and restaurants around the country. Free, iOS and Android
Spending Tracker
When you first get your student loan and see hundreds/thousands of pounds in your bank account it’s tempting to blow it all on a spending spree. A takeaway here and there, ubers to uni when you wake up late, splashing out on new trainers, and suddenly it’s 5 weeks in and you have £20 to last for the rest of the term. The Spending Tracker app categorizes your spending into sections – food, clothing, utilities, books etc. so you can see where your money’s going.
Free, iOS and Android
Uber/Local Taxi Firm
On nights out/just in general it’s important to have access to a taxi service. Public transport is not always the most reliable/safe at night. Lots of universities have partnerships with local taxi firms where if you don’t have any money you can get a ride home – you just give the taxi driver your student ID then collect it the next day from your university and settle the debt. Free, iOS and Android
City Mapper
When moving to a new city it’s important you know where you’re going. City Mapper finds you the best route (walking, tube, bus, train, uber etc.), and updates in real-time so you know when there’s disruptions to your journey.
Free, iOS and Android
Skype
Video calling is one of the best ways to stay in contact with your friends and family at home. Skype is free to use and you can voice call/video your contacts. If the person you’re calling doesn’t have Skype they can still call you from their landline or mobile.
Free, iOS and Android