7 apps every college student needs to survive

If you’re a college student, you probably own a smartphone. While apps like Candy Crush aren’t going to help your GPA, there are plenty of others that will actually help you navigate a heavy course load and a new living situation.

Here are seven apps every college student “needs” to survive.

1. Study Blue – Free – 4/5 star rating in the Mac App Store

Students can enter their school and class information, and receive free study guides, flashcards and quizzes in return. The materials are created by other users, so proceed with some caution (but not so different from the class notes your mom and her friends used to share and photocopy in the library, really). Users can rate the content, too, so high-quality study guides rise to the surface. If you’re willing to pay a few bucks, you gain access to an advanced search feature and eliminate ads.

2. Studious – $0.99 – No rating in the Mac App Store

The app lets you input your course schedule and project due dates, along with notes and photos. It will also silence your phone during lectures so you’re not that person. The app backs up to the cloud so your notes won’t be lost.

3. RefME – Free – 4.5/5 star rating in the Mac App Store

For free, RefME will let you scan the barcode of a book or copy and paste a URL and then give you the proper citation in a variety of styles, including MLA and Chicago. Better yet, the citation is stored in the cloud in case you need to get back to it. No more flipping through a style guide book.

4. QuickVoice Pro Recorder – $2.99 – 3.5/5 star rating in the Mac App Store

Your phone and laptop probably already have built-in recorders that let you capture and relisten to that confusing biochem lecture. But QuickVoice Pro will let you record voice memos and then email the recording to yourself as audio or text.

5. Sworkit – Free – 5/5 star rating in the Mac App Store

The Freshmen Fifteen is real. Avoid it with this app, which asks you to choose a workout category and how long you want to work out, and then suggests a plan of action. The app will guide you through a video workout, so it’s a bit like having a virtual personal trainer.

6. Venmo – Free – 4.5/5 star rating in the Mac App Store

Gone are the days when mom and dad always picked up the tab for a dinner out. Instead of driving yourself and your waiter crazy trying to split a check 12 ways, put it on one card and then use this app to easily transfer money to the person who paid. While there’s a fee for using credit cards, major debit cards are free, no matter whether you’re transferring $2 for coffee or $200 for a night at the bar that got out of control.

7. Skype – Free – 2.5/5 star rating in the Mac App Store

Call your mom. The app lets you video chat for free whenever you want, so you won’t forget what your little sister looks like and you’ll be able to check out your bestie’s newest nose ring. You can also group chat with multiple people at once, which makes staying in touch with your high school crew that much easier.

Emily DeRuy is a Washington, D.C.-based associate editor, covering education, reproductive rights, and inequality. A San Francisco native, she enjoys Giants baseball and misses Philz terribly.