11 Must-Have Back-to-School Apps and Gadgets

Heading Back to School? Here are 11 Must-Have Gadgets and Apps for College Kids

It might still technically be summer, but school is right around the corner and that means hitting up the books and going back to class. As tech geeks, we are here to make your triumphant return to education go as smoothly as possible, and let you in on the hottest and most useful apps and gadgets to power you through your studies. 1 iProcrastinate Don’t be fooled by the name of the app, it’s one of the highest rated task management applications out there. Download it to keep track of all homework assignments, tests, projects, and any other tasks that you’d wish to avoid! 2 Hyperlapse For film nerds and photography students, this new app created by the same folks at Instagram converts your shaky video into gorgeous, sweeping time-lapses. Oh, and you can do this with only 2 buttons. Make a beautiful video tour of your college campus and get it published on your school’s newspaper website, or, you know, a goofy video with your dorm mates… 3 The Livescribe Smart Pen Never miss a single word during a lecture again. This smart pen lets you take notes on a notebook AND capture audio at the same time. It basically “records” what you write and what is said at the same time, so if you don’t understand why you scribbled a particular idea or note, you simply tap it to replay what your professor said at that very moment. Pretty cool huh? You can also sync all your notes digitally on your computer or with your Evernote to access at a later date. The pens start at $199 and require a special kind of paper, but it’s a solid investment if you happen to get frequently sidetracked during lectures. 4 LiveSafe App Lots of moms worry when their kids go to college for the first time. Aside from the partying temptations and the stress of studies, safety is a key issue when students find themselves fully independent for the first time. Starting at Georgetown University, the LiveSafe App lets you report tips anonymously, receive safety alerts, see local crimes, not to mention gives your mom peace of mind. 5 LaCie PetiteKey USB Drive Forgive us if you think this a trifling boring, but face it – you’re going back to school – and you’re going to need portable storage. This little key packs a big punch and can store up to 32BG worth of your precious homework, music and movie files, and it’s hard to lose when attached to your keychain. 6 CourseSmart Aside from piles of homework, what’s the other stress of starting a fresh semester at school? Buying expensive textbooks. CourseSmart is the world’s largest digital library of textbooks and eTextbooks, and can save you as much as 60% on your books bill. Not all texts are available here but it’s sure to put a dent in your reading list. 7 Google Translate You’re going to be googling a lot of things in school, rest assured of that. Google Translate is available on your smartphone for free, helping you get through your Spanish, French of German language classes. We think it even has Latin on there, if you’re the dead-languages kind of student. 8 MyFitnessPal This technically isn’t a student-specific app, but it will for sure help you keep the Freshman 15 at bay. MyFitnessPal Helps you keep track of your daily and weekly caloric intake, track your activity levels, and can add info through barcode scanning. Remember to stay healthy kids! 9 QuickGraph Math kids, this is the app for you. Available on the iTunes store, it’s a free, advanced graphing calculator that’s able to graph equations in both 2-D and 3-D. Don’t understand the concept of Cartesian, polar or cylindrical coordinate systems? Maybe QuickGraph can help you visualize it and get that A you desire. 10 GPA Calculator The app’s name says it all. Download this for free (right now, only available on Android) to calculate your grade point average. There are even settings to configure how each school is weighted. 11 iTunes U This is wicked collection of essays, lectures, book and videos from schools such as Stanford University, Oxford University, MIT, and even the Museum of Modern Art, to name a few. With a free price tag, it’s hard not to imagine students binge-watching or reading through this treasure trove of knowledge that spans thousands of subjects from “Algebra to Zoology.” Good luck to all of you venturing down the path of figuring out “What do you want to be with you grow up.” Hopefully this list will ease your way and make the journey more enjoyable.