Everyday student-life can be filled with stress, for Dutch and international students alike.

‘I can’t stop procrastinating when it comes to studying.’

‘I wish I could understand what the cashier is saying to me in the supermarket’.

‘How do I even get to my class?’

These are all thoughts that may plague the student mind. But, fear not! Even though student life may seem overwhelming at times, there is help out there. Help that comes in the compact form of phone apps. I have searched high and low to put together a comprehensive list of apps, specifically tailored for students of the University of Groningen. Here is my top 10:

• iGroningen

The first thing I searched for was a University app, and iGroningen popped up straight away. This app covers various aspects of University life; ranging from viewing your grades, courses and schedules to informing you how many computers are available in the library and maps to all the different campuses. It is essentially a quick, condensed version of Nestor that fits in your pocket.

• Scanner Pro

Scanner Pro allows you to take a photo of any paper document, which it will scan and save as a digital version in the form of an editable PDF to any cloud storage system. It automatically detects borders and tilts the document into shape, as well as correcting any blurry distortion. This app is perfect for law students in particular when it comes to tackling difficult chunks of text, and for only €3.99 it will save countless hours of time.

• Duolingo

If you are a language student or have little grasp of Dutch, Duolingo is a fantastic app for providing free, simple language lessons. Forget the days of falling asleep reading off endless lists of foreign vocabulary, Duolingo offers games with vocabulary adapted to your specific level of understanding of the language, such as matching words to photos and forming sentences out of a group of potential words (and has made going to the supermarket 100 times easier!) 

• Wolfram Alpha

If, however, you are studying a more number-based subject, such as maths or economics, then Wolfram Alpha will become your Bible. Racking your brains for the solution to that horrible maths problem that just won’t solve itself? No problem. Just type it into Wolfram Alpha and watch the mysteries of mathematics unravel before your eyes.

• Booster buddy

Being a student comes hand in hand with a lot of stress. If you are suffering from any particular mental health issue or even if you’re just feeling deflated, Booster buddy moulds a character to cater to your needs. You are given a little ‘buddy’ that will assign you three tasks every day to make you feel a little better and clarify your thoughts. For example, researching Groningen’s local government, which can help you to feel less isolated; especially when moving to a new city.  It’s a helping hand to get you out of bed in the morning and make your day a little brighter. 

• Bike citizens

Living in one of the bike capitals of the world, it is sometimes difficult to know the best routes to take without crashing into pedestrians, as well as avoiding busy roads. Bike Citizens is an app created using the knowledge of local couriers that suggest the best route for your anticipated journey, as well as highlighting attractions that you pass along the way.    

• Flixbus

If Groningen is not your hometown or you are an avid traveller and long to be on the road, then the FlixBus app is perfect for you. Its clear layout displays your upcoming journeys, helps with bookings and offers travel at discounted prices. With coach journeys from Groningen to Eindhoven at €7, you have no excuse not to go home and visit the family, and if you are an international student it provides you with the perfect opportunity to explore the Netherlands on a student budget.

• Splitwise

Ever cooked a dinner with friends and had to study receipts for an age to figure out exactly who owes how much money to who? Or have you been the unfortunate victim of having to pay off a friend’s drink at a bar? Those days are over. Splitwise is an app that allows you to type in exactly how much money you spent and it will directly divide the amount between the number people that were involved. Easy peasy.  

• Thuisbezorgd App

It’s Tuesday night. You have three assignments due for Thursday, a book to read and what’s worse you still have to cook. That’s where the Thuisbezorgd app comes in useful. This app allows you to compare every type of take-out food in Groningen and compare prices and tastes, allowing you to order dinner directly to your door. WARNING: Overuse of this app may cause obesity, be sure to use it in moderation!

• Forest: Stay Focused app

Is procrastination your middle name? If it weren’t for social media consistently buzzing away on your phone do you believe you could be a lot more productive? Well, fear no longer because the Forest app  has found a cure for this problem. By leaving your phone alone, a small tree will start to grow. The greater period you leave your phone untouched, the bigger the tree will become. Each time you open your phone, the tree will disappear and start its growth cycle again. So, in order to allow the tree to cultivate, you must keep studying!

These are my top apps for students. Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers, 

Anna