Around the country, students are planning for that well-decorated dorm room or apartment. But what about the phones in their pockets? Whether it’s in the classroom or on a trip with friends, these 23 apps for college students get the job done.

Staying Organized

  1. Google Calendar—It’s hard to beat Google Calendar for its combination of power and simplicity. If it needs to happen on a specific day and specific time, put it on the calendar. Put your classes on the calendar and the use the repeating function. You have a class that meets at 10:00 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday? Enter it once and let repeats handle it. Look for the “add it to my calendar” button when you make a reservation or sign up for an online presentation.
  2. Remember The Milk—This to-do list holds everything I have to do now or in the future. Assigning a date to each task means I see what I need to see when I need to see it. Assigning a priority helps me see my “Fab 5,” tasks for the morning, tasks for the afternoon, and tasks for the evening. It’s simple enough for a high school student and powerful enough for the CEO. It handles repeating tasks and even allows voice input. If you’re not using a digital task list, here is a video that shows you how it works.
  3. Evernote—In a world of mobile devices, this is the place for reference information. It easily serves as a spiral notebook replacement for classes and can also house those PowerPoints from the professor. Two or more people can be working in the same note at the same time. You can record the audio of the class and then turn that audio into a written transcription. From there, the AI capabilities built into Evernote will summarize the transcript for you. I recently created content on how college students can use Evernote.
  4. Google Drive—This productivity suite has become a standard in the education community. The ability to access and edit information from any device and the ease of sharing makes it appealing.
  5. Google Keep—Evernote is a premium program. If you are looking for a free alternative, Google Keep is a good lightweight replacement for Evernote. Keep your class notes in Google Drive. But from there, download the Google Keep widget for your phone. It’s great for the grocery list or quick thoughts. I like the ability to open Google Keep in the sidebar beside a Google Doc. You can drag notes from Google Keep into the body of your Google Doc.

Staying in Touch

  1. Gmail—This one app can retrieve messages from all your email accounts. Because it’s from Google, the search capabilities are amazing. It also plays nicely with your Google calendar.
  2. Google Messages (for Android)— One of the things I like about Google Messages is that you can read and respond from your computer. You can compose with 10 fingers rather than two thumbs on a piece of glass. You can easily copy and paste text into the message. For that matter, you can also copy the text in a message and paste it somewhere else. Use Google Messages rather than the default messaging app. For iOS, use iMessages.
  3. LinkedIn—You’ll be applying for a job someday. This is where the people who do the hiring hang out. Start building your online resume now.
  4. Google Translate—It’s a small world, and this app lets you have a conversation, translate a sign, or translate entire paragraphs from one language to another.
  5. 1440 Daily Digest—Some TV news leans to the left. Some leans to the right. This simple once-a-day email is right down the middle. Stay in the know and save yourself time at the same time. It’s totally free to subscribe.

Staying on the Dean’s List

  1. ChatGPT—Don’t try having ChatGPT write your paper. Your professor is likely a step ahead! It is an idea starter. It is a timesaver when you need to find specific information quickly. Personally, when I am writing a tricky Excel formula, I’ll describe what I need to ChatGPT. It has saved tons of time. Also try Gemini, Copilot, and Claude.
  2. Hemingway Editor—This one is not really an app, but a website you’ll visit on your computer. The site gets its name from Ernest Hemingway, the writer who gave us such powerful works as The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and The Old Man and the Sea. His style of short and powerful sentences was something he learned as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star. The idea is simple. Paste your text in that site and you get instant feedback on what’s hard to read, where you’ve used passive voice, etc. For more, check out this post.
  3. Desmos Graphing Calculator—This app does exactly what it says, and does it for free.
  4. RealCalc Scientific Calculator—This app is the most popular advanced calculator for Android. Don’t take trig without it. Here are alternatives for iOS.
  5. Quizlet. Flash cards have helped students prepare for tests forever. With Quizlet, you not only create your own, but download from the extensive library.
  6. Cite This for Me—Properly citing sources you use in writing a paper can be tedious. This app makes the process simple. Insert the ISBN or other bare-bones information, and watch the perfectly-formatted citation appear.

Staying Well-Rounded

  1. Google Maps—With plenty of opportunities, college students need to know how to get there…by car, bike, or on foot. Count on Google Maps to get you there. Get the app for Android or iOS.
  2. Waze—When the trip is by car, Waze is made for the job. Fellow travelers alert you as to road hazards. The speed limit versus your current speed is on constant display. Read more in this excellent post.
  3. Accuweather—My favorite thing about this service is that it tells me how many minutes until the rain starts…or how many minutes until the rain stops. This information is great when you have a walk across campus ahead of you. Get the app for Android or iOS. I have a widget for this app on my phone’s home screen.
  4. Feedly—Speaking of spare minutes, identify great blogs and bring new posts to your phone.
  5. RocketMoney—College is not too young to start budgeting money, and RocketMoney is a great tool to help anyone see where the money is going. It also alerts you to recurring subscriptions you may have forgotten you had.
  6. Google Wallet  or Apple Wallet—We all have credit cards and all sorts of loyalty cards. Let your phone store them all. We’re entering an era when our government IDs will soon be something we can simply carry on our phones.
  7. The app for your university—This one goes without saying. You’ll get the most timely and complete information right here.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
— Robert Collier

Outfit your phone to be a tool that makes every day easier and more productive. Have a great year. These 23 apps for college students give you a big head start.

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