More Education, More Problems…

Anytime we have an opportunity to understand what motivates us to keep in sync with our routines it should be a good thing. There are days however when we really aren’t feeling it. Some of the most essential issues with college are compounded when we add our general inexperience to the mix. Most of us in college have no idea how to budget both time and money. Many of us fall by the wayside and drop out due to so many things we have to keep track of when we aren’t being told what and how to do something. It should be a godsend to us after living with parents for most of our teenage years. Enter… the Best Android Apps for College Students.

There are those arbitrary apps are everywhere telling you how drunk you are, where the nearest Jack-in-the-Box is, or how to make a Manhattan. Not so with bestandroidapps!

Rather than listing those, we’ve curated a small collection that addresses the needs of college students most everywhere.

After sitting down with a young woman attending the University of New Mexico branch down the road we’ve spoken at length just what it is that needs to be considered:

ELI: Good afternoon! So you said your name is Justine? How is school this year? Make any new connections?

Justine: Hi! Yeah, my name is Justine, school is challenging but you know… education right? Connections? (laughs) Well let’s just say it’s been interesting.

ELI: So you’re familiar with online publications right? Well, I’m a freelance writer and I have a story that is going to be featured on a website that deals with finding and using the best android apps avaliable… and I have a question for you.

Justine: Ok… what is it?

ELI: If you could narrow your main concerns down by just five or six things that come with dealing with college what would they be?

Justine: Hmm… I’m not sure I could just say there were five or six! (laughs) There’s definitely much more than that!

ELI: Totally understandable… ok, howzabout you just fire off the first five that come to mind and are personal for you?

Justine: Oh okay, let me think… Studytime, Money, Employment…–um…gaining weight? …and Socializing. 

ELI: Freshman fifteen?

Justine: (laughs) Something like that…

ELI: Ok! Awesome Justine, thank you for your time and keep an eye out ok? www.bestandroidapps.com!

Justine: You’re welcome! I will!

So with that in mind here we have our Five Top Apps for College Students.

 

My Study Life (Mobile UI)

At first glance the app seems very bare. We were asked to set up an account that was then verified with clicking a link on our email address. When that was finished, we were given the opportunity to check a few things. The left hand menu opens up the visual selection in list format. The teal layout was very pleasant to work with.

What we then did was enter in information on the website. This is one of those apps that function fine on mobile but in order to get the full benefit of its use we opted to log in online and enter in our academic year, class schedules, and other pertinent information.

As you can see, the classes look very sharp being organized by time, room number (which one can navigate to for some reason through Google Maps in case you get lost apparently), and instructor. Following the classes we were able to see whether or not an exam was scheduled.

Next, we see our schedule. Now, there isn’t a whole lot of information here on the app but the potential use of this app is mindboggling in its sheer amount of customization. Settings on the sidebar opened up General Settings and Reminders. Next, we take a look at the Desktop interface.

The app is simple, straightforward, and good with managing time when time is in short supply. In order to get the application to work to the typical college student’s expectations, logging into the online website and entering in the class information is a necessity.

 

My Study Life (Desktop UI)

When we logged into the web portal we were greeted with this splash page which gives us a general idea of its purpose.

Using this app, in conjunction with the desktop portal is definitely a great way to keep on top of your studies. However, the only concern in using this is making sure that you set aside enough time to enter in all the required information. Squeezing time away from studies and what little sleep you get might be challenging though we can’t think of a better reason to take a break from reading.

Download My Study Life from Google Play

 

Budget Planner

This little gem was hidden beneath many budgeting apps within the google play store. What caught our eye was the fact that it was free first of all. When you download it, you have to choose what your setup is going to be. Unless you know something I don’t most of us are going to be choosing “For Personal.” Being free, we do have to expect ads, and not but a moment later after the welcome screen, we get a full page ad that has to be clicked off at the upper left hand corner.

The first item of business is choosing a currency. In this case we choose the Dollar for the United States. On the left hand sidebar we get a few options. Those such as bills/payable reminder might be a little overkill for some but it always helps. After choosing “Reports,” we then have to add what type of item we need to modify.

We added our base salary to this. $500.00 really isn’t anything more than a made up number—for the sake of trying this out. We can also add expenses in the categories. Under accounts overview we are able to see our monthly spending vs. income averages.

As we said, it seems to be a little bit on the technical side but we have no doubt as soon as you get the hang of the data entry, this becomes a more powerful tool.

Here we can view our income, expenses, and analysis.

As an example, we added expenses in grocery for 25.85 that was set to be paid three days before it was due on the 29th of October. Moments later, we received a notification on our home screen that reminded us that grocery was upcoming.

In case you haven’t noticed, the advertisements are going to be a necessary evil when it comes to this app. Powerful it may be, you might want to think about upgrading via the sidebar and in-app purchases in order to get rid of the ads. It throws the process off a little every time you boot up the app and are forced to click away a window. Otherwise, buying the add-ons seems to be a pretty justifiable upgrade, if only to support the developer.

Download Budget Planner from Google Play

 

Job Search by ZipRecruiter (Mobile UI)

If there was ever anything that we wished would just do what it was supposed to do we can think of a job search app doing just that. Usually we have to sift through secondary sites or offers in order to apply for different positions. This though is a refreshing way to take care of what needs to be done.

The task is a profile. Usually. In this case, not only do you not need to make a profile, you can see at a glance where employment opportunites exist near you. We entered as an example, “dishwasher” in Phoenix, AZ. We were then given a list of prospective places. This gives you the power to either go in person to see if they have a kiosk or if you want, you can decide to apply at home.

After we saw the items we wanted to see, we decided that perhaps registering wasn’t such a bad idea. After doing so, we were able to upload a resume, a photo, and other applicable information–all of which was accessible from the mobile app.

The layout was so easy to navigate that we decided to apply to a restaurant just for giggles. We also uploaded our profile information and found the One-Click Apply button both very helpful and time saving.

 

Job Search by ZipRecruiter (Desktop UI)

What comprehensive application would be complete without a mirror accessible through our desktop? This made the process much easier as it does not require us to find an app in the Google Play Store that deals with Word Documents in order to make and upload our resume. What we did was simply log in with our username, load our resume, and finish adding our profile info.

It was pretty simple with gobs of monitor real estate to concentrate on important areas such as Suggested Jobs, Applied Jobs, and Saved Jobs.

Download Job Search by ZipRecruiter from Google Play

 

Google Fit

We’ve been playing with this for the past week and from what little we’ve seen we can say that Google Fit is going to remain on our devices regardless of whether or not college is a factor. Not only is the interface gorgeous and without clutter but the intuitive gestures seem almost second nature when using the application. The best aspect of any Google app is the amount of integration across the entire Android ecosystem.

The application tracks your steps, activity levels, distance, and duration of your activity. Provided you’re honest and have realistic goals, it can be quite a companion for a busy life. For instance, After the cursory acceptance of terms, we entered in our vital stats and did a lot of clicking “yes.”

Next, we swiped through the minutes of exercise, miles traveled, calories burned, and steps taken. Looking into the top right corner we wanted to add an activity.

The list is very extensive, but not surpirsingly given Google’s global presence and stress on individuality–as far as advertising goes. With Badminton, Nordic Walking, Water Polo, and Squash among the variety to be found.

Approaching the home/dashboard we were able to change a few things including our weight as each day progressed. If weight is a daily chore for you then being able to enter in numbers each day and not looking until the end of the month to see the progress should be easy enough.

Settings gives us the delivery method for notifications, connected apps, and whether or not we had high accuracy enabled.

Taking it out on the road for a test gave us very interesting results. On our day around town running errands we lost track of time between Walmart, Home Depot, the mall, and a few other places. The application runs in the background with very little battery drain. It’s also able to differentiate between driving and walking, otherwise we would have met our goal within the first hour.

It was only at the end of the day that we were alerted (perhaps waiting until we were at rest) that we had met our daily goal of 6,000 steps. The distance it self was a little over 2.5 miles but based on our weight and height we found the rough estimate of calories burned immensely helpful. It can only get better when you have a smart watch complete with heart rate monitor. A Moto 360 is an awesome companion for you on your way to being healthier.

Download Google Fit from Google Play

 

BeMyDD – Designated Driver

This list would not be complete if we did not at least address the elephant in the room. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2015) :

• About four out of five college students drink alcohol.
• About half of college students who drink, also consume alcohol through binge drinking.

With these satistics we should remember that while we don’t wish to paint having a good time in a complete negative light, we do wish to advocate safety. BeMyDD is just the app for that purpose.

The first step after the splash screen is either registering or loging in. Getting started is a breeze, input your email address, phone number, and password brings you to the information that matters most. Name, Address, Date of Birth, and Gender.

A small problem we encountered was when we tried to place a rural location into the address section. It kept pushing us into New York City Hall, New York. Otherwise, if you happen to live in one of the larger cities advertised on the information screen then you won’t have a problem.  Payment is a simple as taking a photo of your card and hitting “submit registration.” 

If no one knew exactly what this service offers. It is a solid entry in mobile taxi services. At about the cost of a typical taxi, a driver will call you, then take you where you need to go. They will even drop your car off in a place of your choosing.

Making sure you have some credit or funds avaliable on your card is very important. It only functions to keep you safe if you’re able to pay for the services.

Download BeMyDD – Designated Driver from Google Play

 

Conclusions…

College can be an amazing period of introspection, self-growth, and making new friends. Understanding that there are situations and problems that will visit is always a good thing. Five of the biggest challenges facing the typical college student, Schoolwork, Budgeting, Employment, Fitness, and Night-Life push every one of us to consider the need for help in navigating this mind field.