Phone Apps Every USC Student Needs
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
College can be stressful, so I am always looking for ways to make it a little bit easier (and cheaper). Phone apps are a convenient way to do so. From free Chick-Fil-A to analyzing sleep patterns, these are a few apps I think will make your college experience a little bit better.
Reward Apps:
Sweatcoin is an app that literally pays you for walking. Well, you don’t get paid cash - not right away at least, but you do get awarded points that you can trade in for cash or other prizes. I know, it sounds like another one of those survey scams, but please trust that it is not. Just keep it on your phone and it will rack up steps even without being on the app. Before you know it, you will be trading in your “sweatcoins” for cash, sunglasses, makeup, iPhones, and more. You walk around all the time anyway, so you might as well give it a shot!
Pocket Points is an app that actually partnered with USC to award students for staying off of their phone. You amass points by doing so and then can use the points to redeem prizes. I personally use the points to get free food at the Chick-Fil-A by campus. Worth the download!
Trojan Fever is one of those apps that USC students know about, but just do not bother downloading. This USC app not only tells you when all of the games are on campus but also awards you points for going! You can then trade in those points for USC merch, gift cards, and more. Having the app is a great way to find out what is happening around campus and get some free stuff!
Education-Based Apps:
Okay, so I feel like 90% of the college community already knows what Quizlet is, but I would feel bad if I didn’t share this gem to the 10% who don’t. Quizlet is a free app/website which is full of digital flashcards. It is great for people who learn better with repetition. You can make your own cards to study from or look upon the thousands of previously created flashcards. Whenever I am about to create a new set of cards from a textbook or lecture, I always check to see if someone else has already made one and usually, they have!
I honestly do not know how people function without calendars. Are they robots? Magicians? Who knows. What I do know is that having an actual calendar makes things 10x easier. I prefer Google Calendar since I can access it from multiple devices and definitely recommend it if you do not already have it.
Duolingo is perfect for students who want to brush up on a foreign language. This app is especially helpful since USC has a language requirement. If you want some free extra practice in whatever your language is, this is the way to go! I used Duolingo before I even officially started my language class to get a bit of head start and the first month of the class was basically just review!
Audible is not free (so I always check to see if youtube has any audiobooks first), but it is the perfect tool if you need some extra encouragement to read your assigned books. Whether it’s just listening or reading along, it is a great tool! This is also a great app if you want to wind down and just listen to your favorite story!
The USC app is probably another given, but in case you do not already have it - you need it! It is an easy way to access myUSC, Workday, the schedule of classes, and more.
Speechy is the next level of voice recording. If you want to record some sort of lecture or interview, but do not want to write out the recording afterward, just download this app and it will do it for you!
Speechify is perfect for those tired of reading long pages of assigned literature. Just take a picture of the page in your textbook or novel and it will say the words for you! Just sit back and listen.
Okay, so this is not a phone app, but I really feel the need to include it anyway. Self Control is a computer app that is perfect for people who get distracted easily. If checking your Instagram, Twitter, or Netflix account is all too tempting for you during lecture, just download this app and you can block websites for up to 24 hours! I am still looking for the phone equivalent of this amazing app!
Health Apps:
Headspace is an app that offers guided meditations for a variety of different situations. If you have never tried meditation before or are even looking for a guided meditation to listen to on the go, this app would be great for you.
Sleep Cycle is an app everyone should try. This app tracks your sleep patterns and is designed to gently wake you up while you are in your lightest sleep phase.
Social Apps:
GroupMe is probably the best way to talk to multiple students at once. Just think of it as a gigantic group text. Lots of majors and clubs will have personal GroupMe’s to talk to each other, so if you do not have one already, you are probably missing out.
Venmo is another one of those apps that 90% of people probably already use, but just in case, I am going to mention it anyway. I feel like college students, or at least USC students, use card way more than cash. Everything is electronic. Venmo is an easy way to transfer money to friends or businesses to pay for things.
I hope at least some of these are useful and make your busy college life just a little bit easier!
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