Being a student is difficult, but more so when you come from another country. In addition to the course, you also have to deal with language barriers and being away from friends and family.
Fortunately, technology has made the international student experience much easier than it used to be. Students can now apply online to schools around the world and take advantage of many useful study-abroad apps and resources.
With so much information available, it can be hard to know where to start. But if you’re looking for specific ways to enhance your student life, look no further than the phone in your hand! Below, we’ve highlighted five valuable apps to enhance your study abroad experience.
Google translate
English is not the first language of most international students studying in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, or Australia. Even advanced English speakers can struggle with local dialects and slang.
Fortunately, translation apps like Google Translate can help you understand difficult words or phrases. The app translates more than 130 different languages through voice, text, or handwriting.
There’s even a quick-access download option so you’ll have certain words and phrases ready at all times, even offline. Best of all, Google Translate is completely free!
Spotify
If you’re a music fan, streaming services like Spotify are almost mandatory downloads. With unlimited access to millions of songs, there’s something on Spotify for everyone.
You can create and share playlists for any taste or mood (we recommend making one for studying) and download music to your smartphone to use less mobile data.
Yes, you need to pay a premium subscription to get these features and an ad-free experience. The good news is that students get Spotify for half price! Visit the official website for more information.
Cite This For Me
Cite This For Me is an application designed to make it easy to reference sources in your assignments and assignments. You can use the Google Chrome Cite This For Me extension to automatically cite web pages in APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago formats. You can then copy the citations directly onto your Works Cited page.
Not using a digital font? Don’t worry, snap the barcode on any book or magazine and Cite This For Me will create a citation. It even has a plagiarism checker to help give you peace of mind before you turn in your assignment. If you find creating appointments annoying and tedious, you need this app!
There are many messaging applications out there, but WhatsApp is one of the best. This free app is great for keeping in touch with family and friends back home, as WhatsApp uses a Wi-Fi connection or your mobile operator’s data network to make voice and video calls.
This means you won’t have to pay expensive long-distance rates. You can also create group text chats with family and friends.
The only limitation is that you can only make calls to other WhatsApp users. However, since the app is easy to set up, it won’t take long to help your family set it up on their devices before you go!
Circle of 6 / Circulo
Campus security is a major concern for universities and colleges. To help ensure that your study abroad experience is as safe as possible, it’s important to be proactive.
It is best to never walk alone at night, to be aware of your surroundings, and to have trusted friends nearby who are aware of your location.
Technology can make this easier. These apps (Circle 6 for Apple users and Circulo for Android users) were initially created to help college students prevent sexual violence, but anyone can and should use them.
The app allows you to add up to six people from your contacts to join your “circle”. From there, you can send quick notifications to your circle, like a ping with your GPS coordinates or a message asking them to call you as an interruption or distraction.
It’s a way for friends to stay safe, so it’s important that your circle only include people you trust.
