The Best Apps for USF Students

I always feel old when I say, ‘back in my day’, but the truth is that back in my day, we lived in a world without apps, cell phones, tablets, and computers.  To get information at school, you had to visit the information boards, get printed schedules, and visit office after office just to get school business done.  Today, our kids have everything at their fingertips. Information is instant, convenient, and plentiful. Apps provide no need to walk miles around campus to set up tutoring appointments, pay bills, or even to eat.  There are a lot of useful apps that USF students use, and here are a few of them:

USF and College Studying Apps

• apps.usf.edu Application Gateway – This provides over 40 software applications for personal use.  Log in with a USF NetID and they can be accessed from any computer anywhere.
• Archivum – Allows you to access USF services and resources within the app. For example, scheduling advising appointments, check your admissions status, and much more
• BullTracker – This app gives real-time information about campus bus locations and arrival predictions.
• Career Fair Plus – This app allows you to see all career fair events, see the lists of employers and jobs.
• Discount-A-Bull- Shows you food deals around campus
• EasyBib by Chegg – With EasyBib Plus, students can use the plagiarism checker to find missing citations, and fix them before submitting their paper. Also, easily catch writing style and grammar errors with easy-to-understand explanations on how to improve their writing for next time. No matter what citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago etc.), EasyBib Plus will help create the right bibliography. Right now, students get a 3-day free trial of the product.
• FindMyClass – Just select the USF Tampa campus, plug in the building for your class, and a map will give you directions to the building and estimated time of arrival.
• Gas Buddy – This shows the closest and cheapest gas around town and even offers cashback rewards which are helpful for commuter students.
• Google Calendar – Allows students to sync their Canvas calendar to their personal calendar. This is a great help when trying to stay organized with deadlines
• Google Drive –  allows you to access all drive documents on your phone
• Grammarly’s mobile keyboard is the personal editor you can take with you wherever you go. Best plagiarism checker & proofreader.
• Handshake – This is an online career management system that students can use to find jobs, research companies, view events, and interact with a Career Consultant.
• Herd Perks – Get rewarded to checking in to events at USF!
• Herd Perks: app where you can get rewarded for checking in to events at USF while also allowing you to stay up to date with events at USF
• MoBull Messenger – This security app notifies students of emergency updates via text.  You must opt-in through NetID Account Services. Students can also sign up for features like Eyewitness, Guardian, and Smart 911.
• MyUSF – This is the first app a new student will download because it provides access to courses, schedules, instructors, accounts, maps, events, and so much more.  It also gives access to CANVAS, GEMS, FAST, and OASIS. This app is all things USF!
• Parkmobile – This allows you to pay for timed parking spaces through your cell phone.
• Social Bicycles – This is part of the Share-A-Bull Bikes program.  With a pass purchase, you can unlock a bike, use it, and return it to any bike rack on campus within the operational area.
• The USF counseling center has compiled a list of apps that offer meditation, relaxation, and mindfulness to help with the stresses of college.
• TopHat – a lot of professors use this app to answer daily questions for attendance points.
• USF Campus Maps- Helps you navigate the USF campus on the go and allows you to lookup buildings by their codes.
• USF Maps App – These maps provide many travel resources from parking, bicycle sharing lots, and BullRunner routes.
• USF SAFE – official app of USF that helps you stay safe around campus. Some of the features include sending you safety alerts, sending your location to USF security real-time, tip reporting that allows you to send in anonymous safety concerns to USF, etc.

Restaurants & Entertainment

• Pocket Points – I love this one. It literally incentivizes students to keep their phones out of sight during class. They just open the app, lock their phone, and earn points for the time it is off. Later they can trade the points for discounts at certain restaurants and local and online businesses (Office Depot). There is even Double Point Tuesday. (which is great since my daughter has three classes on Tuesdays.)
• Tapingo – This allows students to order and pay for food for pickup at all USF restaurants, and syncs with USF Bull Bucks well.
• UConnection – A food and drink app with exclusive deals, daily specials and more from restaurants and bars
• UberEATS too, so they don’t have to stop studying to go pick up dinner. UberEATS brings the food directly to them
• And when you need coffee, download Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks to pay for your purchase and earn rewards.
• DoorDash – This is the same concept as UberEats and Postmates. They have an easy app that guides you through your order. They have also launched Project Dash. This initiative helps tackle food waste and hunger in the local communities that they serve.
• EatStreet – online and mobile food ordering and delivery service provider
• GrubHub – Simply browse menus, pick what you want, and submit your order.  Local suggestions are great and most deliveries are around $3. They run specials if you sign up for their emails, so get that setup.
• Fandango NOW – Another streaming service offering movie rentals.
• Seamless –  For food delivery. Part of the Grubhub portfolio. Earn rewards with their Perks

Money, Finances & Getting Around

• FindMyClass – Just select the USF Tampa campus, plug in the building for your class, and a map will give you directions to the building and estimated time of arrival.
• GasBuddy- Shows the closest and cheapest gas around town and even offers cash-back rewards. Helpful for commuter students.
• Mint – My daughter is a big fan of this one. Managing money while in college can be a struggle. Mint is a budgeting app that helps students keep track of their finances, as well as help them understand where they can make some budget cuts of their own.
• Parkmobile – This allows you to pay for timed parking spaces through your cell phone.
• Social Bicycles – This is part of the Share-A-Bull Bikes program.  With a pass purchase, you can unlock a bike, use it, and return it to any bike rack on campus within the operational area.
• Student Beans – For instant access to discounts and all you need is your student ID.
• Uber – This is another app they may already have and creates no excuse for putting themselves in an unsafe situation. Lyft is an alternative to using Uber.
• Rover – if you need a pet sitter while you are away or at classes or you want to become a pet sitter
• USF Maps App – These maps provide many travel resources from parking, bicycle sharing lots, and BullRunner routes.
• USF SAFE – This app helps you stay safe around campus. It sends safety alerts, can send your location to authorities in real-time and can help you to report activities.
• Venmo – Your student probably already has it, but this app allows people to split bills, pay their share of things like groceries, meals, Uber rides, etc.  It’s also a great way for parents to “pay” their kids when they need extra money.

For music, many students recommend Spotify and Pandora.

Health, Wellness & Fitness Apps

• Booster Buddy – Booster Buddy is a free app designed to help teens and young adults improve their mental health. Managing personal wellness journeys as you are guided through a series of daily quests designed to establish and sustain positive habits.
• Brain.fm – A collaboration between scientists, musicians, and developers creating music to support you in everyday activities–helping people get more done, feel more relaxed, or get better sleep.
• Calm – App for Sleep, Meditation, and Relaxation, with over 50 million downloads and over 700,000 5-star reviews.
• Commune – offers free virtual yoga and mediation studio
• Headspace – Maybe this should have been the first one I wrote about. I use this one too because everyone deserves a mental break. For students who want to improve their mental health, not just maintain it, the Headspace app is the perfect place to start. It acts like a personal trainer for meditation, taking just ten minutes a day to guide your brain toward developing meditation muscle-memory. They offer a ten-day trial. If nothing else, the app is a daily reminder that for ten minutes a day, we all should calm down, breathe, dislocate from any stresses and surroundings, and try to focus on how we feeling on a deeper level. (Note: I included parents here too, because, well, the world would be a better place if we all did this.)
• Insight Timer – A collection of free guided meditations, with over 30,000 titles.
• Glo – Offers free yoga, mediation, and pilates practices.
• Journey Meditation – A LIVE group mediation app
• MindValley – The Mindvalley curriculum is designed to unleash the fullest potential of your mind, body, and spirit. Offers free masterclasses
• MyWellness – This connects with most workout machines at the 3 USF recreation facilities and allows students to track their progress.
• Myfitnesspal – Download and sign up for this popular fitness app. Search ‘Aramark on Campus’ and all menu items will be there.  A great way to stay healthy and stay on track.
• MindShift –  MindShift is an app designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety. It can help you change how you think about anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxiety, you can make an important shift and face it.
• Omvana – Omvana gives you access to hundreds of meditation tracks for all levels, from advanced meditations to get you into deep states of mind to bite-sized sessions for busy people.
• Tactical Breather – Tactical Breathing Trainer can be used to gain control over physiological and psychological responses to stress. Through repetitive practice and training, students learn to gain control of heart rate, emotions, concentration, and other physiological and psychological responses to the body during stressful situations.

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Prior to Hurricane Irma, our blog talked about hurricanes that had impacted Florida.  It had been twelve years since a major hurricane in the state. Hurricane Irma will be remembered not only for its strength but for its impact on the entire state of Florida, causing damage and destruction on both the east and west coasts. Just last week Dorian posed a huge threat to Florida.  Being a Florida native, I am very used to the threats of bad storms. But when forecasters throw out words like “catastrophic”, and you see that their expressions have changed, it is easy to feel panic and anxious.

The best part of a hurricane is that there is plenty of warning.  And with Dorian, USF had time to prepare their students and families to keep everyone safe.  A lot of students decided to leave their dorms or apartments, and some students from out of town went home with friends so they weren’t alone.  The school canceled classes, however, the dorms were kept open as well as some buildings.  USF sent out emails and notifications so that both the student body and parents were advised of any threats. Luckily, Tampa was spared and everyone was safe.

In cases where the storm has an impact,  the next worry would have been for the students to get back to school on time.  USF releases a timeline of classes resuming after cancellations so that thee students could get flights back in time. In situations like that, professors are very flexible.  No missed classes, tests, quizzes, or projects are counted against students traveling back after an evacuation.

We are relieved that Dorian steered clear of a direct impact in the Tampa area.  But it was important for everyone to be prepared. Necessary supplies, water, gas, cash, and extra charged phone batteries are all things that students attending universities in Florida are now known to have at the ready.

There is no judgment whatsoever if you had your student return home or fly out of Florida.  We all make decisions that work best for our own Family. USF shares where information can be found and up to date weather alerts and notifications are always found on their homepage.  Be sure to join parent Facebook groups for USF as there is always information shared there.

Lastly, always remember that there will always be another storm.  Make sure your student has their emergency items together. For a list of items we recommend, read our blog Where the Wind Blows.

Additional information on USF’s storm preparedness:

www.usf.edu

USF Emergency Management

National Weather Service

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As a Florida Native: Been there, done that. Wind blowing, we get that a lot. I was born in Florida and have never lived outside of Florida. I know all about sunny days, tourists, love bug season, humidity, and yes, hurricanes. I know nothing about preparing for snow, but I have had my fair share of hurricane preparations and parties.

The quote, “it’s all in the preparations” is true when it comes to Florida storms.  It is so easy to become complacent when you’ve been through so many storms, preparing for the worst, and then having a storm turn the other way at the last minute. You’ll hear, “it won’t hit here” a lot. 24-hour broadcasts and weather forecasters getting excited can create a sense of panic and second-guessing. And if your student is from another state, panic can become elevated, especially for the parents at home.

The best thing about hurricanes is that there is plenty of warning.  Again, if you and your student are prepared, then there is less to worry about.  Floridians seem to look at Cat 1’s with an almost indifference, yet a Cat 3 prediction can send everyone’s nerves into overdrive. So, what do you and your student do?

Remember these things:

• Hurricane season starts June 1st and ends on December 1st.
• Florida hurricane season means lots of rain and sometimes strong winds. Supplies to have are a few flashlights, extra batteries, bottled water, and non-perishable foods to last at least 3 days.
• If your student has a car at school, advise them to fill their tanks as soon as possible.  Lines become long and the panic at the last minute will cause stations to run out.
• Make sure computers and phones are fully charged and backed up.  Do not leave anything plugged into an outlet during a storm. Lightning can zap electronics and damage them.
• ATM’s do not operate when there are electrical outages, so make sure you have cash on hand before the storm hits.
• If it is advised by the university to evacuate, then students will be directed to either safer buildings on campus, or to area shelters. Transportation will be given as well. If you evacuate, bring all valuables with you.
• Do not advise your student to get on the road the day before a storm. It is actually more unsafe to be on the roads at that time. Remember: prepare ahead of time.

The university’s hurricane policies also, visit ready.gov for instructions on building and maintaining a disaster supply kit.
USF Emergency Information. USF students can also sign up for MoBull Messenger along with other public safety applications.

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