To say that student life will be different to pre-student life is an understatement, but these years could turn out to be some of the best ones of your life. In order to for you to get used to this new lifestyle, we’ve compiled below a list of useful smartphone apps that will make the transition to student life a swift and easy one.
Voice Record Pro
This is an awesome tool for revision. Even the most dedicated of students’ minds can veer during two-hour lectures, but you don’t have to worry about it if you get this app. Press record and then leave your phone to do the rest of the work – it will capture every word that comes out of your tutors’ mouths.
CU Connect
Designed especially for CU students with information about the campus, the library, the Students’ Union and more. If you’re new to CU and want some help getting to know your new mini-world, this app is a great place to start.
Amazon Student
This is a CU essential. Amazon Student helps you find the best deals on textbooks, and you can even sell your own here. Just scan the barcode of a book you need and the app will find you the cheapest prices. You might not have to worry about this too much, as your core books are included within your fees as part of the No Hidden Extras policy. However, if you love reading and tend to spend a fortune on old paperbacks, Amazon Student is a must for you!
AroundMe
This app is a great way to not get lost. It will find your location using GPS and allow you to search for the nearest pubs, pharmacies, supermarkets and more. Very handy, especially if you’re moving to Coventry for the first time. Finding your way around a new city can be a challenge, but AroundMe will make this experience a much less nightmarish one.
Evernote
Evernote is a great app that can help you keep organised. It allows you to take notes, capture photos, create lists and access those from any device you use, at any time. Finding the most efficient way of keeping your notes organised for different modules is always difficult, especially at the start of uni, but Evernote provides a simple solution that you can use for all your courses, and you can access it from anywhere. Also, you can store all this material online so it will never be lost!
Wunderlist – To-Do & Task List
Wunderlist is an app that allows you to compile lists and share them with friends. Whether it’s a to-do list, a shopping list or a trip planner, Wunderlist will make it easy to share these with your housemates – minus all the disagreements!
The Trainline
Ideal for live-in students and commuters alike, this app allows you to buy tickets, plan your journey and check live departures – all essential tools for the frequent student traveller.
Exam Countdown
This does exactly what it says on the tin. This app counts down the days before your exams and lets you know how much time you’ve got left to revise – ideal for any procrastinators out there!
Dictionary.com
Are you ever reading a particularly long-winded textbook and stumble across a word that you’ve never even heard before? If you have, then there’s nothing more useful than being able to whip out your phone, type it in and get the definition right there, rather than having to flip through the humongous Oxford Dictionary.
The Dictionary.com app is useful not only for definitions, but the Thesaurus.com add-on is a great way of finding a smart word for a perhaps not-so-smart meaning, and the Word of the Day insert will allow you to go into exams, sweaty with nerves, and tell everybody around you that it’s not your fault – you suffer from “hyperhidrosis”. Double-win.
Dropbox
First things first. Please, please get into the habit of saving your work every few seconds. Make it a reflex action, if possible, because if you’re writing a 2,500-word essay and your computer suddenly decides that it fancies a quick nap, it’s v. upsetting when your work hasn’t been saved. But even if you do manage to press “ctrl+1” (or ctrl+s if you’re a Mac user) before your computer falls into a slumber, technology is temperamental. It’s always possible that your beloved computer won’t wake up. This is unfortunate – and pessimistic on my part, so I apologise – but if you have Dropbox installed, your work will be saved to the Internet and thus be accessible from any device – including your smartphone – and your work will never be lost. Whoop!
Temple Run
We need to remember that university isn’t all about exams, coursework and finance – it’s also about having fun. Freshers’ Week may leave you too exhausted to leave the house and so if you find yourself in this situation, download Temple Run. Warning: this game is very addictive, and so it might be a good idea to save it for when all the exams, coursework and finance is out of the way and you have a good, solid twenty-four hours to devote to it.
Happy downloading!
– Karis, Alex and Asya
