Top Ten iPad Apps for College Students

I was browsing through Yahoo! News the other day and came across this really cool article about the top ten apps college students should get for their iPads. (Yes, this article was specific to the Apple form of a touchscreen tablet, but there are always similar applications in the Android and Google markets!) The more I think about it, the more I realize how many people I see on a daily basis that use tablets in the classroom or in-between classes. One of my friends likes to take notes on his iPad during his math and science classes because he can write out the equations and such by hand, but then type definitions and notes as well, all on the same document! Here are the apps that the article by SashaG, suggested all college students should have, along with their cost (most are FREE!):

1) Evernote, Free
Sick of trying to keep track of all your class notes? Organize them digitally with Evernote. This app allows you to create notebooks that are accesible and editable from any connected product, including your Mac and the Internet. You can also create a notebook just for one place, for example if you want to store all your passwords somewhere. Since Evernote doesn’t have student-specific features, it’s perfect for co-eds who need to keep their Algebra notes and sorority minutes in one place.

2) Twitter, Free
If you have a Twitter, you’ll want the social networking giant’s free app. It allows you to handle multiple social media accounts at once, so it’s especially useful if you are also handling a company social media account.

3) iBooks, Free
You’d think that the iPad would come with iBooks preloaded, but it doesn’t. Having a library at your fingertips is a great motivator to read a new book instead of watching Sex and the City (again). To top it off, iBooks also just came out with the bane of every college student’s existence – textbooks!

4) Facebook, Free
Believe it or not, Facebook didn’t have an iPad app until this past October. But it’s here, it’s free, and you’re in college – what are you waiting for?

5) Epicurious, Free
So you finally moved out of the dorm and into an apartment? Whether you’re a cooking genius or clueless in the kitchen, Epicurious has you covered with thousands of recipes right at your fingertips.

6) Angry Birds HD, $4.9
Angry Birds is the gaming sensation that has captivated millions of users. The objective of the game is to eliminate the egg-stealing pig by slinging birds at them. The game is fun,addicting, and a great way to blow off some steam if you imagine that pig is your cheating ex-boyfriend. If $4.99 sounds expensive for a gaming app, there is a free lite version.

7) Zite Personalized Magazine, Free
CNN bought this Vancouver startup for $20M last summer, so you know it’s good. Zite asks you to put in your personal interests, aggregates related news, and then puts it all together in a magazine format, complete with organized sections. It’s a great way to read news personalized for you, without having to download several different news apps.

9) Netflix, Free With Subscription
The vast majority of the college students I know already have a Netflix subscription (or use a friend’s). If you’re one of them, grab the free app from Netflix that allows you to stream movies right onto your iPad. More of a TV junkie? If you have Hulu Plus, you can watch your favorite shows on your iPad too.

10) Get It Done Tasks, Free
Based on the Getting Things Done movement popularized by David Allen, this task manager is easy to use even if you’ve never heard of GTD. Just input your task, pick a due date, and check it off the list when you’re done. Easy and, best of all, free.

I definitely agree that a type of notepad for taking and organizing class notes is a great app for college students. I mean, note-taking takes up a majority of our academic lives, so having everything in one place and not having to worry about whether you brought the correct spiraled notebook to class is one less thing to worry about. I suppose the only disadvantage to this would be if the professor allows open notes/book exams or quizzes, but then you can always connect your device to a  computer to print out all of your notes! 

I also think it's AMAZING that digital books are becoming more popular and easily accessible to college courses. It can end up saving students a TON of money and also makes searching through an entire book for one specific topic much easier.

My third favorite app would be the personalized magazine. You can take a break from your studies by keeping up with current events and learning about other important things going around you, whether it's immediately related to where you live or around the world. It's almost like you're getting an education outside of your academic education (woah.)!

I do like the games and social networking apps these companies provide us as well, but I'm definitely more into the practical uses of tablets in my daily life! What are some of your favorite applications?

Something simple, something easy.

You know what I find to be one of the most difficult tasks as a result of living in a dorm room?

Washing the darn dishes.

It might just be me who thinks this though. I do not know why exactly, but I think it's such a pain to fill up my wash bin, scrub all of the dishes by hand, rinse them, and then lay them out to dry. It's not like people really enjoy doing dishes or anything, I just think it's annoying to do it in a dorm room where there isn't a kitchen or a good place to put any of the dishes away to dry.

I guess I'm a little bit more lucky than some other students who live in dorms, though. Since I live in South Complex, I have a suite-styled dorm room where I have access to a a water source without having to leave my room and carry all my supplies with me. Some dorms, like the ones in Brody and West Circle, are a little less fortunate, where there are only community bathrooms.

 Maybe it's because I work in the dish room at the bakery and I just get sick of doing it, but I just don't like doing the dishes during the school year.

Does anyone have any tips or anything that could help me dislike it a little less? I listen to music to keep me distracted normally, but I was wondering if anyone did dishes another way that was more efficient.

Now I think it's time I ought to go do the dishes that I have been neglecting by writing this blog post. :p

Run, run with your top down, baby, she flies.

Okay so this is REALLY, REALLY last minute but I just wanted to let all my readers know that there is the Diversity Career Fair being held at the Kellogg Center tonight from 5:30 to 8:30pm that is focused toward all majors offered here at MSU! There are over 110 companies looking for summer interns, co-op workers, and even full time employees! One of my friends who went to this last year said that she was even interviewed at the fair, and was then hired a few days later. It is also Michigan State's largest career fair in the Spring semester, so I plan to take full advantage of the professional interview environment.

You can learn more about this event and other career related activities on campus here.

I'm sorry this notification was so late, but I hope that some of you can benefit from this great opportunity! Wish me luck! :]

Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme.

I think this past weekend was the best weekend of the semester to be ill. And I'm not saying that sarcastically. We had a nice three day weekend in the beginning of the semester when homework and projects and work shifts aren't piled high on my plate, so if I had to get sick this semester, I definitely would have chosen this weekend.

It was quite unfortunate though to be miserable during all my classes on Friday. I hate being the student that's sniffling every ten seconds because of a head cold. I also attempted to go to the hockey game against Northern Michigan that night, but my head pounded in the loud atmosphere of Munn Ice Arena, so I had to leave after the first period.. Apparently, it was also one of the best games of the year with a win for the Spartans in and overtime shootout, so I was really bummed I missed it. In retrospect, getting 12 hours of sleep was wonderful though and probably aided to me getting well sooner than later. I was able to go to the hockey game on Saturday (thank goodness), and we went ice skating during public skate at Munn afterwards, so that definitely made up for my loss the night before.

It was also a very Disney and video game filled weekend, mostly because of the extra day, lounging around for being ill, and I had finished all of my homework earlier in the week! My boyfriend and I ended up watching six Disney movies since last Thursday, including going to the cinema in Eastwood to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D. If you like Disney, 3D movies, and you don't mind paying the price for a ticket, I would highly recommend you go see it. Of course it was the digitally remastered version with a lot of layering to create the 3D effect, but it felt like I was watching it for the first time. We also watched Tangled, Princess and the Frog, Hercules, Alice in Wonderland (1951), and Peter Pan (1953), most of them which Jack hadn't seen before (crazy, right?!). I give him a lot of credit for accepting my Disney addiction and watching the movies with me. What an excellent boyfriend. :D We also had a great time playing Mario Party 8 and Mario Kart on the Wii with some of my friends from my floor, so I definitely think that should turn into a weekly event. :]

Apart from that, I really didn't do much.. I hope this week brings some more exciting activities and I'll feel well enough to participate in them all though!

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go.

Well, here we are again. Back to the old grind, back to work, back to diggin' a trench on the road from Wilson Hall to the Engineering Building.

I just wish the semester was starting off better than it has so far.

I'm currently having a lot of trouble trying to get into the classes I need, setting up my schedule for the future, and fulfilling all my required credits for the University. If you ever have a problem like this or questions regarding your major, don't hesitate to talk to your advisors, whether they are specific toward your major or general ones that will help you choose a major. They are important tools used to help students to maximize their potential at the University so that you are satisfied with the degree you receive by graduation. Many advisors have walk-in hours for the first couple of days because they know that students are going to have a lot of questions regarding their schedules and majors. I had to wait about 20 minutes for my advisor, and there was still a line of people after me as well! So if you want to get in a talk to them, but you can't chance the waiting, make an appointment and you'll be able to sort out everything you need.

You can make an appointment by logging in here, and selecting your major from the list.
I hope everyone else has been having a less strenuous beginning to their spring semester than me!

A happy little working song.

Okay, now it's getting to that point over break where I'm getting bored more easily than before.. Sure I love that I'm not stressed about school and work and trying to get everything done on a deadline, but I'd rather do all of that than nothing at all.

I've never been the type of person to want an extended break after anything, no matter how grueling or stressful it was. Just give me a couple of days, maybe a long weekend, and I'm ready to start a new project. Three weeks? Just too long for me. I miss my friends, my co-workers, and my Quidditch team. Can we fast-forward about a week, please?

On a different note, congratulations to both the Michigan State and University of Michigan football teams for their bowl victories and representing the Big Ten Conference over the past few days! It was the first time MSU has won a bowl game since 2001, and I'm so happy it was with this year's senior class. Way to go out with a bang, boys, we're all so proud of you! :]

So how should I keep myself occupied over the next couple of days? Any suggestions? I hope your winter break has been much more stimulating than mine!