Smartphone apps helpful for students

Shams Mustafa

A new school year may have recently started, but it won’t take long until things begin to move at a faster pace. Here are some apps that can help students organize their lives on and off campus. 

KSU Mobile

The KSU Mobile app offers multiple handy features. Students can log in to their profiles and find their Kent State ID number, account balance for the Bursar and information about their meal plan and FlashCash. Additionally, students can buy their books and review their class schedules, including their classmates’ names and email addresses. 

For commuters, the campus maps section can help in finding the right building and parking lot directions. Students can also check parking availability in the student parking section. On-campus employees will also find a tab where they can view their pay stubs, sick leave and vacation leave. The newest version of the app includes additional residence hall information for students who live on campus, such as the phone number of the residence hall director, resident assistant and graduate assistant. 

Blackboard

Through Blackboard app, students can stay up to date on information relating to their courses, such assignments, grades and class materials. The updated version of the app added the ability to manage notifications directly from the app. 

Mendeley 

As a student, you will deal a lot with academic research. Mendeley offers an organized library for scholarly research. Students can download their academic articles, highlight information, search for keywords and use the app for annotated bibliographies and citations. 

Sovita, Chase and BB&T

Stepping into the adult world means learning to deal with finances. Mobile banking apps such as SovitaChase and BB&T give users access to their bank accounts. Through the secured profile, students can check their balances, make transactions, pay bills and transfer money from one account to another. These tools are common in most mobile banking apps, but some have different features. For instance, BB&T gives cash back on purchases from certain brands. Through Chase app, users can set a spending limit so they are notified when they spend more than a certain amount per transaction. 

DoorDash, Uber Eats and Insomnia Cookies 

For busy students who forget to eat, DoorDash and Uber Eats are here to deliver food from their favorite restaurants. These apps have a variety of restaurant choices, so whatever food students are craving can be delivered right to their doorsteps. For students with a sweet tooth, Insomnia Cookies offers a variety of ice cream sandwiches, brownies and cookies that can delivered to students even in the middle of the night.

Wise Drinking 

The Wise Drinking app gives some tips on responsible and helps in managing a person’s alcohol consumption. Once a person enters their weight, sex and the types of drinks they have consumed, Wise Drinking can give them an estimation of the number of alcohol units a person has consumed. 

Apple Health 

The Apple Health app can help students keep track of their activity, nutrition, sleeping habits and breathing. The activity section can keep people motivated by recording how often they exercise and many calories they burn. The nutrition section can be used to keep track of what a person eats, so they can set nutrition goals and learn what their body needs to stay healthy. Getting enough sleep is a part of staying healthy. The sleep section monitors a person’s sleeping routine and gives them information on the amount of rest they need to get. The mindfulness section offers users a chance to relax, release their stress and take a few deep breaths after a long school day. 

Shams Mustafa is a general assignment reporter. Contact her at [email protected]