20 essential Android apps for college students

One of the first things a student needs to do -- aside from buying pots and pans -- is acquire a planner to stay ahead of lectures and assignments. While you once had to rely on pen-and-paper, apps often now take the place of more traditional planners. My Study Life is one of many free options in the Android ecosystem, and the app can integrate lecture times, homework and assignment deadlines, revision classes and other events. 

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

TED is a non-profit organization that hosts educational talks on "ideas worth spreading." The organization's TED talks are popular, and now you can access these talks on the go if you want additional background or to keep up-to-date in your field.

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

Chegg is an app which can be used to read, rent or buy textbooks for college. You can search for texts by scanning barcodes or through searching by author, title and ISBN.

Price: $Free (in-app purchases)

Download: Google Play

Google Drive, which works with Google's education suite and a number of other services, is a staple way to store files including videos, photos and documents. A feature which is most useful for students is the ability to share and edit documents as a group -- in real-time, or by leaving comments. 

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

WolframAlpha, which recently dropped a $50 price-tag to a far more manageable couple of dollars, has proved to be a godsend for many students across the globe. The app can be most beneficial for math and calculus students, as WolframAlpha can be used to plot graphs, set calculations and pull data from many sources -- but this isn't the end of it. The app also works as a search engine, database, encyclopaedia and source of financial information, including stocks and currency. 

Price: $2.99

Download: Google Play

LectureNotes is an Android app which is best paired with a mobile device that comes with a stylus, as it acts as a note-taker to replace pen and paper. When you're besieged with essays to write and assignments to finish, using LectureNotes takes out one part of the process -- transferring notes to a digital format. 

Price: $Free trial | Premium available

Download: Google Play

For students counting the cents and trying to stay in-budget, Mint.com's personal finance application can be used to keep track of outgoings -- from food to household expenses -- help you work out where to save, and remind you when bills are due. 

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

It's not always easy to remain focused on your studies, especially when Facebook or YouTube beckons you. If you have such troubles, use an app such as Self Control for Study to enforce better self-discipline. The application stops you executing apps for specific time periods, keeping your smartphone addiction in check, at least until the essay is written.

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

Easy Voice Recorder is a simple, clean voice recorder; a no-frills application which is useful for students in lectures and seminars. Sometimes you don't always catch every word, but if you have a recording of the proceeds, this will be useful when revision season comes along. 

Price: $Free | Premium available

Download: Google Play

If you're willing to go through the rather complicated process of installing, you can save a few cents on equipment and turn your smartphone into a TI-8X series of calculators. The emulated calculators  allow you to write programs in TI-BASIC and perform basic scientific calculator operations, as well as graph and compare functions, substitution, data plotting and analysis. 

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

Evernote is one of those apps where you can dump all of the information thrown at you -- whether it be a copy of a receipt, a to-do later note to yourself, college essay clips, articles or lecture slides. What makes Evernote a strong contender is the clean, simple design, a powerful search function, and compatibility with a range of file types and devices -- which keeps your account synchronized across all of your devices when you update or upload new files. 

Price: $Free (in-app purchases)

Download: Evernote | Google Play

College isn't cheap -- and the vast array of books you may have to buy can put a deep dent in anyone's bank balance. In response to rising education costs, a number of technology companies have begun launching ebook rental services as an alternative to buying hard copies outright -- and services such as Google Play books can be used to rent texts for a time, saving students money. 

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

Wunderlist is a clean, simple task manager which is compatible across a number of platforms. The app may prove invaluable to students due to the separation of tasks and lists, the ability to check off completed tasks and remind students when tasks are due.

Price: $Free (in-app purchases)

Download: Google Play

If years in college are leaving their mark after too many takeaways or late-night feasts, an app such as MyFitnessPal can help you track your calorie intake and improve your exercise regime. 

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

You never know when you may need to scan something on the go, whether it be a business card, notes or receipts. Therefore, an app which takes the hassle out of scanning is useful. CamScanner is one such app, and the software lets you scan items, crop and enhance, print by connecting to nearby printers and share online.   

Price: $Free (in-app purchases)

Download: Google Play

Dropbox is an app which every student should have on their mobile device. Dropbox provides free cloud storage accounts -- with premium available -- that act as standard PC folders, where you can drag and drop files to be stored. These folders can then be shared with your contacts.

Price: $Free (in-app purchases)

Download: Google Play

Google's YouTube is a highly popular video upload and streaming service. I know of very few college students that don't use this app in one way or another frequently, and not only can it be used for entertainment purposes, but documentaries, talks and lectures can be found hosted on the site. 

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

When on the go, sometimes finding an available, free Wi-Fi network can be difficult. Apps such as WiFi Finder can take the hassle out of finding these connections by searching on your behalf and showing you on a map where free Wi-Fi can be found.

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play

While you're often asking for trouble by citing Wikipedia in academic works, the resource -- which is updated by contributors across the Web -- can be useful to give you a basic overview or understanding of a topic.  

Price: $Free

Download: Google Play