10 Apps You Should Have as a VT Student

During my 4 years at Virginia Tech, I downloaded a lot of apps with the hope of them making my life a bit better. Some of them were good, many of them were not (at least for my needs). With the input of some friends, I compiled a list of apps we found to be most beneficial during our time at VT. This list is supposed to be unique and targeted so I did not include traditional apps like Uber, Lyft, Amazon, Google Maps, etc. as I assume most students have those already. 

1. Hooked
   • A great app for local deals. I check this app frequently when I don’t feel like making food. Only one/two dozen local places on here but the deals can be pretty good (often up to 50%) depending on the time. 
2. Unidays
   • Very popular app/website among students but for good reason. Unidays compiles a significant amount of deals and offerings for college students in one place. If you’re looking at making a big purchase or just want to browse, Unidays likely has a few deals for you.
3. Kroger
   • I didn’t download Kroger’s app until late my senior year but once I did I realized what I was missing out on. The app unlocks access to additional digital deals while shopping in-store which can start to add up rather quickly. You can also use the app to navigate the store or order pickup and delivery. I have not used Food Lion’s app. It seems to do a lot of the same but it is not as highly reviewed.
4. Tapingo
   • Tapingo pairs with VT dining services to offer pickup and delivery orders at many on-campus dining spots. Definitely is nice to quickly pick up items in between class and not have to wait in line.
5. Blacksburg Transit Apps
   • As a frequent user of Blacksburg Transit, I found apps that helped me with the schedule, routes, and bus locations essential. There are several options for this some suck and others are pretty good. I currently have the Blacksburg Transit app and BT Mobile. I found the official transit app to be mediocre so I would recommend getting an alternative as well. Apparently, Google Maps has recently added features to show bus stops and time so that can be an alternative to check out.
6. Canvas
   • Allows you to see all your class material at a glance on your phone. Really nice for quickly viewing a file or some other material briefly.
7. Google Calendar or another calendar app
   • I would highly recommend setting up a calendar app to organize your schedule and structure your day. It’ll help you easily plan and lay stuff out. I couldn’t give you a definitive answer on the best calendar app but there are plenty of blogs that will. I have always used Google Calendar.
8. Mint or some other form of spending management
   • Managing your finances becomes an essential part of being a student. Getting an app like Mint that can help you keep track of everything you spend, your investments, and the rest of your accounts in one place makes life much easier.
9. Coursicle
   • When its time to do add/drop, Coursicle (or Course Pickle) becomes an essential tool. It allows you to easily add and track courses in the app. You’ll get a notification if the class opens up. Free allows you to add one class while premium costs $4.99 and allows you to add unlimited classes.
10. A note-taking app
    • Having a note-taking app ready to quickly jot down stuff is essential. I recommend getting something more advanced than the simple built-in notepads. I personally use OneNote on my phone and computer. There are plenty of articles that discuss all the options available.

These are the best apps for VT students I’ve been able to come up with so far. If you have an app you feel was essential during your time at VT please leave a comment below with it and why. I’ll try to add as many as I can in.