Phone apps for students

Source: theguardian.com

As young students, it seems as though we can never go anywhere without our smartphones in our hands or stuffed in the back of our jeans pockets. It's mostly used as a gateway to connect and keep up with friends via social media, which can be a massive procrastination tool. With great power, comes great responsibility. If we're smart about how we use our phones, we can transform what was once a time waster, to something that is much more productive. With the few mobile applications listed down below, we're sure that it'll help you to be on track in becoming the next Hermione Granger!

1) Quizlet

Available on: iOS, Android, Web

Cost: Free

Function:  Quizlet is an app that is essentially a digital form of flashcards. These are handy when you want to memorize facts or vocabulary. They offer memory games to help you memorize the content and they allow you to bookmark certain flashcards that you have trouble recalling. 

2) iCal

Available on: iOS

Cost: Free

Function: iCal is a basic calendar app that allows you to separate your calendars into different categories (i.e. clubs, university, family, friends, work) or by units that you're taking so you don't miss out on any deadlines. The app also has a feature whereby you can share your calendar with your friends or family so that they know what your workload is like before asking you out. 

3) Duolingo

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: Duolingo is the well-known app for students who want to or are learning a new language. It's useful for teaching the language from novice to advanced level. The app appeals to your sense of achievement by awarding you points as you progress through the different levels of language mastery. 

4) Evernote

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free but certain services need to be paid

Function: Evernote is the ultimate student mobile application as it's designed for the student to take notes, organize them and retain them through the semester. It allows you to save documents, links and images that you've stumbled upon or need later on. It also has a feature where you can sync the data across platforms as long as you log in with your account. 

5) GoogleDrive and Dropbox

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free but to increase storage requires payment

Function: Both applications are useful for you to store your assignment files online, enabling you to access them from your tablet, phone or computer as long as you have Wifi. You can back up your files so you never lose them again! The apps are also useful in collaborating and sharing documents with your group mates when working on those pesky group assignments. 

6) Splitwise

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: Splitwise is an app that makes splitting the bill when dining out with friends effortless. The app is especially useful for university students whom have housemates to work out the portion of grocer expenditure each housemate needs to contribute to the household. 

7) Forest

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: 3.99AUD

Function: The Forest app is an app that helps you focus in a fun way. As you use the app, you set the timer to plant a tree. Should you pick up your smartphone and exit the app to scroll through your newsfeed, the tree will wither and die. But if you manage to persevere till the time is up, the tree grows fully. At the end of each day, you have a forest of trees; it may be full of green trees or withered ones, depending on how well your focus and self-control is.

8) SAM

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: Understandably, university life can be very stressful sometimes. This app is good in helping you manage that stress and anxiety by helping you understand and manage your anxiety better. It offers self-help methods for you to reduce or handle your anxiety and look after your mental health.

9) ZombieRun

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: You can't just sit by your desk and study all day. To really take care of yourself, you'll need to incorporate some exercise into your routine. Zombie Run is a role playing app that makes running (i.e. exercising) fun and less tedious! It's always good to refresh your brain. 

10) Ted

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: If you ever need to take a break from studying, instead of mindlessly scrolling through your social media, why don't you use this app to give yourself that extra push of motivation? At the same time, you can educate yourself on certain issues spoken about in the TedTalks.

By Cynthia

The ‘Selfie’ Culture: Empowering or Threatening?

The modern selfie trend was triggered by the launch of the iPhone 4, the first iPhone to come out with a front-facing camera in 2010. The selfie trend has since been a modern revolution fueled by the popularity of social media applications such as Instagram and Snapchat.

Whilst some may argue that the selfie culture is detrimental to society by promoting vanity, narcissism and superficial-ness, the concept of a selfie can also be interpreted as a movement of empowerment to the user. A selfie is typically taken at any given time of the day, regardless if there is a special occasion or otherwise. There is no real reason behind a selfie, except for the fact that you think and feel you look good that day. Selfies challenge the notion that you need a justification to be seen. It may cater to vanity but it is also a radical act of self-love. “I look good today. I feel good today. I don’t need validation from anyone else,” is the statement supporting a selfie. This acts as a positive mechanism that raises the self-esteem of society.

However, the selfie culture has been doing more harm than good of late. Selfies have now evolved into an act of documenting and perpetuating an exciting life. The public has now become committed to taking an amazing selfie at without any regard for their safety or anyone else’s.

An example of a horror story is that one incident where a group of tourists killed a baby dolphin by parading and passing it amongst themselves on a beach so each tourist within the group could take photos with it. Even after the baby dolphin dies from being out of water for too long, its corpse was still being passed along as a prop for their social media profiles.



That is just one instance of out many. Other recent cases that have raised the concern of the selfie culture include teens accidentally shooting themselves in the head while posing for a selfie with guns and the destruction of a piece of history because of a selfie attempt. In more recent news, a teenager has decided to file a lawsuit against Snapchat after being involved in a car accident while using the app while driving over 100 miles per hour.

Oh, let’s not forget this video of a Russian man recklessly performing hoverboard tricks on a rooftop!


So yes, selfies are good to inflate your self-esteem and make you feel more confident in your skin. But is a few thousand likes really worth putting your life and those around you at risk?

By Cynthia