5 Top iPhone Apps for College Students

All across the country, young people are packing up and hitting the road, heading back to school to begin another academic year. Though this time of the year is always exciting, it is perhaps never more charged than when “back to school” means “off to college.”

Trying to get into the spirit of things here at The BarCode News, we decided to test out several mobile apps for college students of all ages.

For new college students just leaving home for the first time, or upperclassmen who've already nailed the campus experience, these iPhone apps can help increase productivity and organizational skills. For the connected college student, these iPhone apps are must-haves around the dorm, the quad, and the lecture hall.

iTunes U

One of the best iPhone apps on the market for college students is iTunes U from Apple. Available free of charge in the iPhone App Store, iTunes U allows users to listen to selected lectures or full courses in podcast format from a number of well-known colleges and universities.

Whether you want to review information from a lecture or audit a course, this iPhone app has a wealth of information available free of charge. The number of courses and topics available in the iTunes U mobile app is astounding. For the college student seeking additional help in a particular subject or the professor striving to engage students with technology, iTunes U is an iPhone app no academic should be without.

Before you load up the car and hit the road for college, being organized is an absolute must. Many young people will have their first challenge when they open their dorm room doors to see just how little space they will have to share with the stranger on the top bunk.

College Packing List

There is a nice iPhone app on the market designed to help students put together a comprehensive dorm room packing list. College Packing List from Slug Books LLC is a must-have mobile app for the college student moving into a dorm for the first time.

With customizable packing lists for the dorm room, kitchen, class supplies, bathroom, and much more, this iPhone app will help you make sure nothing gets left behind. Packing and leaving for college can be a very challenging time for students and parents; this iPhone app takes the guesswork out of the packing process and can help ease the transition from home to campus.

Rate My Professors

One of the old favorites around campus is a mobile app from MTV Networks designed to allow college students to share their opinions of various professors with their peers: Rate My Professors.  This program has been around for a while in various capacities, but now it is available as an iPhone app.

Though some of the feedback can be questionable since students often evaluate instructors more harshly for being “too hard” or assigning too much work, the iPhone app can be useful when choosing between two available sections of a lecture or choosing whether or not to take a course depending on who is teaching that semester.

Though we are not sure instructors should be evaluated on their level of “hotness,” perhaps it is not surprising to find this rating category in an iPhone app designed by MTV for young adults.

inClass

For the college student seeking to streamline the academic experience and organize schedules, notes, to-do lists, and instructors there is inClass from OneZeroWare. InClass is a mobile app designed to help students manage schedules and keep detailed notes about each course.

The iPhone app also allows students to make lists of upcoming projects and assignments and rank them in order of priority. InClass can even remind students of upcoming class deadlines and recognize which class the student is in while taking notes in the mobile app.

In terms of time management and productivity, inClass is a great iPhone app for the college student striving to reach the head of the class.

Clear

Finally, there is Clear from Realmac Software. Clear is not only easy to use but also elegant, making the process of creating a list and checking off items engaging and satisfying. This iPhone app lets you quickly add and “cross off” items from your to-do list, rewarding your productivity with a shrinking list with the swipe of a finger.

Lists can be ordered by priority, and it’s easy to restore items once they are checked off. For its simplicity, ease of use, and pleasing interface, we give Clear our stamp of approval.  But you don’t have to take our word for it; this mobile app has consistently high ratings in the App Store and excellent reviews from other publications.

The time has come, young people! Set off for the next chapter of your life and take the campus by storm. Armed with the desire to learn as much as possible, while enjoying the college experience, you will no doubt be successful.

With just a smartphone and a few of these mobile apps, you will have the tools you need to stay organized and on task no matter how many classes you take. Since there's an iPhone app for just about every need, there’s certainly something on the market to make your transition to college life as easy as 1-2-3.

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