All of us at Berkeley sometimes struggle with academics. Being glued to our devices may play into it: Looking at Instagram posts of some celebrities vacationing in Greece certainly won’t help with finals. Here is a list of apps that could help us UC Berkeley students maximize the use of our technology in a way that would improve our school ethic and help us survive.
Google Calendar
Staying on track is ESSENTIAL. Whether it be your classes, extracurriculars or plans with friends, Google Calendar is the keeper of all of your future endeavors. It has features that allow you to combine different calendars and share your calendar with friends where they can drop an invite to any event.
Venmo
When going out, it can be very hard to keep track of finances. Sometimes friends end up paying for each other and nobody wants to have cash on them at all times. In cases like this, Venmo is a lifesaver. You can request and send money to friends, as well as pay club dues. Venmo is relatively easy to use, so it is no wonder that a lot of campus organizations use it for fundraising.
Quizlet
Any class that relies on memorization would absolutely benefit from Quizlet. While making the flash cards, you will start memorizing the content immediately and also have it at your disposal for review. You don’t even need to have the premium version, as the original free Quizlet provides a lot of guidance and resources.
Duo Mobile
This one is pretty self explanatory, but no matter how annoying it is, two-factor verification is actually an essential part of protecting your data. It allows the campus systems to avoid fraud as much as possible and keep all of your private information safe.
Slack
Communicating with project teams and clubs is a task that requires organization, and Slack is the perfect platform for that. It provides you with a variety of channels to separate the topics of conversation and keep your work organized and neat.
GoodNotes
If you own an iPad, this app will absolutely change your note taking experience. GoodNotes nearly mirrors a physical notebook and allows you to carry less while still having that “notebook-like” experience. You can organize information by folders and keep your notebooks all in one place.
Notion
This app has been very talked about during the pandemic, but is still highly relevant. Notion is an organizational app that allows you to create to-do lists and reminders in your own style to allow yourself to stay on track.
Spotify
Finally, we all know music helps some of us focus and relax. Without Spotify, college would be straight-up boring. Walking to class while listening to some upbeat tunes is bound to give endless energy to anyone!
Being so dependent on our devices is not necessarily a terrible thing. By utilizing the above resources, we can grab the semester by the reins and survive!