As a college student, you probably find yourself juggling a ridiculously busy schedule of classes, work, extracurricular activities and (hopefully) a social life, too. You have likely have no free time and even less money. Luckily, smartphones can make your life a lot easier. There are so many apps available that can help you maximize efficiency and streamline your life.
Best of all, you can utilize these apps without breaking into your Ramen noodle budget. Here are five must-have mobile apps that won’t cost you a penny. They are designed to help you save money and time. Bonus: Most of them should also help you study smarter, regardless of how far from the library you roam.
Chegg – The start-of-the-semester book-buying ritual is emotionally and financially painful. Renting often makes more sense than buying, and Chegg is the place to rent textbooks online. This free app lets you search for the books you need by title, author and ISBN. Also, you can just take your phone to the campus bookstore and scan barcodes. Chegg offers several shipping options and returns are free.
myHomework – Smartphones get a bad rap for distracting us from the task at hand, but this free app helps you get organized. It features an at-a-glance dashboard that lets you see all your classes and the assignments for each class. Plus, pop-up reminders and the calendar feature can help you plan out your workload for the semester. Track homework, exams, papers and anything else on your to-do list and never miss a deadline again.
Evernote – Whether you learn by reading, writing or listening, Evernote can help you store and recall vital information from your classes and research. It captures text, pictures or audio notes that you can sync with your computer or other devices. You can go back and access the information anytime from anywhere. This handy app even processes the contents of images, turning words in a photo into searchable text that will pop up when you need to revisit the subject but forgot you took the picture.
Graphing Calculator: Why buy a $100+ scientific calculator when you can download a free app that turns your smartphone into one? Since math and science classes are required for students regardless of major, it can be frustrating to spend so much money on a product that you will only need for a few classes.
Mint.com – For most of us, the college years are our first chance to handle our own personal finances. Mint.com is an easy to use tool for budgeting and expense tracking. Forget the old days of ledgers, spreadsheets and shoeboxes of receipts. This app connects you to the website that securely accesses your checking account and categorizes transactions so you can see where you’re spending most of your money. It will also alert you when bills are due or when you are in danger of spending more than you have. Learning how to budget properly will help you make smart financial decisions, this is vital knowledge for post-college life.
In addition, check to see if your college or university offers an app of its own. School apps are a free and easy way to stay on top of campus events, offers and even security bulletins. They may even allow you to access aspects of your account, from meal plans to overdue library books.
By stocking your smartphone with the right apps you can maximize your time and your money. Organization is the first and easiest step to academic success. You probably carry your phone with you everywhere, so the right apps can really help you unleash your potential.
Guest post provided by Erin Palmer. Erin writes about online degree programs and career topics for US News University Directory. For more information please visit http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com
The following guest post is contributed by Kristie Lewis from construction management degree. You can reach her at: Kristie.Lewis81 @ gmail. com.
When most students idolize at the successful CEOs and breakout entrepreneurs of our time, it’s probably their vast wealth that garners the most attention. The image of Scrooge McDuck roiling around in his vast vault of gold coins comes to mind. But I think that’s precisely the wrong thing for students to think about when they ponder business success stories. While students should certainly aspire towards success, I suggest that focus more on the realities that stand between their idea and its prosperous realization. In fact, I advocate that they try imagine the humble beginnings of high power CEOs and innovators over their current stardom.
Unless they were born into a well-established family business, most successful business people will have quite a story to tell about how they got started. For Steve Jobs, it was creating the most basic computer software and devices out of a garage during his youth. Warren Buffet was brought up in a tumultuous time in Nebraska amid the Great Depression. Heck, even billionaire youth and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg grew up as a relatively normal (albeit nerdy and brilliant) kid with no way of knowing how much he’d impact the world. Nearly every success story started out as just a normal person with big dreams of doing something more, and sometimes it’s hard to keep that in mind when you only see them as leaders in their field.
See yourself in the success of others
It’s important to remember the humble beginnings of these giants because it gives perspective to your own situation. From personal experience, I know that I struggle to maintain the lifestyle of a freelancer from time to time, wondering if it’s even worth it to be self-employed when it would be so much easier to work a traditional desk job. But then I remember that literally every entrepreneur started off in the same position that I’m in; they all took the chance to invest in their own abilities rather than contribute to an already existing enterprise. It takes immense courage to strike out on your own, and that’s something that I forget all too often when I get frustrated with my work. Reading about the successes of people like me helps me remember that I’m not alone in my struggle.
Your humble beginnings and your triumphs
If you want to be an entrepreneur—whether you’re starting your own online pastry delivery service in the midst of school or you’re trying to be the next biggest thing in fashion photography—you don’t need to worry about trying to emulate the success of business superstars. Let me share a little secret with you: you’re already a success story in your own rite. You’ve managed to dodge the bullet of a traditional career with limited options by taking full responsibility for the scope and direction of your future professional life. So while it might seem like you’re stuck in the humble beginnings of a career that couldn’t possibly match the potential of Facebook or Apple, take solace in that fact that you’d be following in the footsteps of some of the greatest entrepreneurs in the world.
In the end, it’s the humble beginnings that makes us appreciate whatever success we achieve in our lives. These relatively tough times will grant you an enlightened perspective on life when you hit it big (and I hope you do!). So don’t spend all your spare time daydreaming of thriving entrepreneurs swimming in money. Think of struggles they went through to get where they are, and realize that those struggles are your own.
Graduate school serves as an escape or easy choice for many students that lack direction or job opportunities. However, the decision to go to graduate school should be based on other factors and should not be a default option. Graduate programs are filled with students that went for the wrong reasons. Don’t invest your money and time on something that may not pay off.
Avoiding the Job Search
A job search is filled with rejection and uncertainty. It’s uncomfortable for anyone, but especially for recent graduates that must compete with more experienced applicants. Few employers are willing to train new workers, so true entry-level jobs are rare. This realization leads many students to continue with school, where things are more familiar and hard work is rewarded with good grades. Despite the appeal of an academic environment, one can only delay entry to the real world for so long. Going to grad school simply to put off finding a job is a bad decision that will cost you valuable time and money.
Lack of Career Direction
Rather than helping you choose a good career path, graduate school may bring you further in the wrong direction. Unless you’re sure that graduate school will lead you down the right career direction, don’t invest in an advanced degree. Once you’ve spent the time and money for a graduate degree, it may be harder to change career paths. Working for a few years might help you decide on a career path more than graduate school, and you’ll be earning money rather than spending it.
Graduate programs are filled with students that went for the wrong reasons. Don’t invest your money and time on something that may not pay off.
For more advice on success after college, read Getting from College to Career Rev Ed: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World
Countless newspapers and blogs have featured the struggles faced by college graduates to find good jobs. Despite the media attention given to the diminishing opportunities for new graduates, many colleges still offer promises of career success and higher earnings. The New College Reality: Make College Work for Your Career, by Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder, provides the unedited truth about college today. The twenty-two rules presented in the book serve as a guideline for students and parents when planning for college.
The overall message of the book is that finding a promising career field and saving money should be the focus of college, not going to the school of one’s dream or maintaining a perfect GPA. Rule one -a college degree is the new high school- has been stated many times. Other rules might not be as familiar or widely accepted. For example, Kerrigan Snyder recommends choosing a career path before choosing a college and starting your college visit at the career center rather than at the admissions office.
Despite rising tuition costs, many students and parents think finances shouldn’t be the main concern when choosing a college. The New College Reality asserts that money should be a major consideration and that the choice about where to attend should be made with the head rather than the heart. The book’s advice on financial aid will be particularly useful for high school students and their parents. Kerrigan Snyder also recommends doing your own research rather than trusting advice from college employees.
The New College Reality is a must-read for students and parents, mainly because it presents honest information that few other sources will provide. It may be hard for students to hear that college is not about having fun or taking interesting classes, but about gaining useful skills for a very difficult job market.
Buy The New College Reality: Make College Work For Your Career
Although expensive resume writing services and software abound, creating a good resume doesn’t require a big investment. By utilizing the free online resources that are available, you can write an impressive resume that will land interviews. Some resume resources to consider:
Purdue OWL
Possibly the most comprehensive writing resource on the web, the OWL at Purdue provides thorough resume and cover letter advice for job seekers of all levels. Topics include creating a scannable resume, cover letter design, and writing the CV.
Emurse
Formatting and organizing a resume is often just as difficult as writing good content. Emurse proves that creating a professional resume doesn’t have to be expensive. The site allows you to easily add, remove and rearrange resume sections. You’ll also find a selection of free formats from which to choose.
Help My Resume
HelpMyResume.org offers basic resume tips and resources, including how to write an objective statement, appropriate resume fonts, and how to quantify accomplishments. The most unique feature of the site is company-specific resume advice for the most popular entry-level employers.
Resume Guidebook
Resume writing presents a particular challenge for those with little work experience or job seekers transitioning to a new field. A new resume blog to accompany CollegeCareerLife.net, Resume Guidebook offers resume tips specifically for students, recent graduates and career changers. Visit the site to learn about functional vs. chronological resumes, creating a student resume and resume mistakes students make.
When it comes to resumes, more money doesn’t always mean a bigger advantage. There are plenty of quality free resume resources online that can help you craft a professional resume.
