Top 10 Apps You Need for College

It’s 2019- most of our life is digital. News, friends, shopping, photos, books: the world is at the touch of our fingers thanks to our phones. Most of us would say we “need” our phones to get through our day, and your college class day is no different. No longer do our back to school shopping lists consist only of notebooks and pens, but now also apps for our phones!

Tapingo/Grubhub

“Fast” food is made even faster with Tapingo and Grubhub! While on campus, you can use either app to pay for and order food with your meal plan! You just sign in with your school, fill out your information, order, and pick it up! It’s super convenient when rushing in between classes because you can order on your way there then grab it and go!

Rider/Transloc

If you’re planning on going to a big college I’ve got news for you: you’re going to have to take the bus. NC State’s bus system is completely free and open to the public so all you have to do is hop on the bus and go! They do have about 15 different routes, so finding the perfect one for you can be difficult at first. Rider/Transloc is the app that is here to help with all your bus navigating needs! On the Rider app you can either type in your destination and read where to go or select bus routes and track them, as I showed in my video!

Uber

Uber is a great app to have if you’re living in a large city in general, but it is really great for going out or getting between campuses when the bus fails you in college! ALWAYS be safe when taking an Uber by asking your driver “Who are you here for?”!!! Checking the license plate is good too but I have heard that there can be mistakes with that so asking for your name and confirming that the car and person are the same as your app says is important!

Postmates

Postmates is a food delivery service that I love to use in college whenever I’m feeling super lazy, am busy studying, or want food but do not want to go sit at a restaurant alone! Let’s be honest, I love Postmates because I love to stay in my comfort bubble inside my bedroom.

TopHat

Remember whenever teachers called your name at the beginning of class and you would answer “here” or maybe “present!”? Or whenever you would have to answer questions on mini-whiteboards or chalkboards and hold them up for the teacher to see? I don;t know about y’all, but those moments were mortifying to me. I was always afraid of my voice cracking while saying “here” or holding up the wrong answer on my whiteboard. Those anxiety-filled, embarrassing days are gone thanks to TopHat! Professors may use TopHat to take attendance with a code or to answers questions in class! The only downfall to TopHat is that these activities now factor into your grade, but it probably isn’t a huge percentage.

Gmail App

Most of you probably have a Gmail account but if you do not, your university will probably give you a student Gmail. Downloading the app is definitely the move so you are always up to date with notifications about class, financial aid, special events- anything you may need to know!

Groupme/Remind

You want Goupme or Remind for one reason: free food. Colleges know that their broke students are dying for some off-campus food, so occasionally they will have events with free food! My residence hall uses these apps to notify us about when these events are happening, but they are also great for group projects and clubs.

Venmo

Am I the only one that stalks people’s Venmo transactions as if it’s just another social media site? No? Okay.

I originally downloaded Venmo to pay club dues but since then I have also used it to split Uber costs and meals with other people!

Limebike/Bird App

My mom is always amazed that these scooters can just be left anywhere, but the funniest thing she said about them was that I “better not ride them because I’ll hurt myself.” Limebike and Bird bikes and scooters are activated by paying with an app and can be very useful for getting across campus! I’ve heard that there are a few restrictions on where they can be left now, but the idea was that you can take it wherever you may need and leave it when you are done! When we first got these on campus, the student body really put the “leave it anywhere” motto to the test by leaving bikes in elevators, on top of dumpsters, in trees, on roofs- anywhere you can imagine.

NC State Guides/On-Campus App

The NC State Guides or On-Campus app are applications that may be useful if you are just starting at State or visiting for orientation or a tour. They have things like maps, dining guides, the week’s events and more.