Life as a student is filled with distractions. Yes, you are there to study, yet you are also occupied with university social life and (ideally) maintaining a somewhat healthy diet and lifestyle. It can often seem like a lot to juggle, and with the additional interference that your mobile phone can cause through its social media notifications, texts and calls, the maintenance of a productive, successful and fun university life may sometimes seem unmanageable.
However, your mobile phone does not need to be the enemy. In fact, by utilising these mobile apps, you are well on your way to maximising both your achievements and fun at university.
UrbanCo
is your first app, brought to you by Urban Collective. This app is designed to streamline your search for a student property with the assurance of quality and excellent customer service, while also considering property best suited to your lifestyle choices. Its ‘Sherpa’ service allows you to have contact with an area property expert who will work with you from finding your ideal property, to aiding in lease negotiations.
(OFFTIME)
allows you to guard against any distractions from that all-important assignment that you may, or may not have, left to the last minute. Instead of your phone buzzing away in your pocket, or distracting notifications popping up when you go to check the time, (OFFTIME) restricts the access of certain apps, while also blocking the messages and calls from those slightly more distracting contacts. If you’re waiting for an important call, however, you can pick and choose who you still want to reach you. You won’t be completely left to the perils of a phone-less existence.
MyHomework
alleviates the stress that, amidst all the excitement, university life brings. Maybe you will forget the due date for an assignment, or a meeting with your supervisor, but MyHomework, can help out with that. This app works across all your devices, ensuring you never miss anything. You can input and track the entirety of your academic commitments, so you can enjoy your down time without experiencing the nagging feeling that you may have forgotten something.
MealBoard
The MealBoard app allows you to steer clear of the all-too-common university diet of takeaway pizza, cheese toasties and visits to the chippie. While everyone experiences the occasional hankering need for a takeaway, if they are a common occurrence, their long-term economic and health benefits are disputable. MealBoard allows you to save and store recipes found on the internet, to meal plan, to monitor what is in your home pantry and to generate your grocery list. If you are looking for cost efficiency and exciting meals that can be made healthy, then you need look no further.
MINT
On a related note, MINT, also aids with student finances. The app allows you to track your spending, monitor your accounts for unusual activity, and notify you of low funds to ensure that you are spending your money wisely!
Skout
helps with the social element of university, with the option to make friendly connections before you have even moved. People are often apprehensive about meeting people and making friends when they move somewhere new, especially if this is in another country. While it is a scary move for most people, Skout provides a means to kick start the exciting social opportunities that await you at university. Skout allows you to connect with people in your area and make friends, allowing for an easier transition into your new university life.
University need not be as chaotic as you may have been led to believe. By working effectively and with minimal distractions, by managing your money and keeping an eye on what you’re eating, your university experience will not just be substantially freer of worry, but enhanced. The use of apps like the ones listed above help you to make the most of the few precious years that you have at university.
- By Ellen Hennessy
