Amid rising technology costs, it is hard to continuously pay more for computers and all of their accessories. However, NYU IT helps alleviate some of that financial burden by providing students an array of free software, which goes largely untapped.

Chief Services Officer of Information Technologies Kitty Bridges said that one particularly invaluable program is the school’s antivirus software, which is entirely free.

“We look for software that is broadly used, works on the operating systems that the community uses most and is secure,” Bridges said. “Negotiations are done to reduce [costs] for students and to the University.”

Here are some of the most valuable, underrated resources available:

EndNote

This is a resource for research and citing sources without having to do them manually. EndNote connects to Word, so while using the tool, it only takes a few steps to paste the citation directly into Word. Although there are already many online citation generators, such as the popular Citation Machine and KnightCite, many of these websites require manually inputting the information before creating the citation. And even after entering the information, the citations are sometimes formatted incorrectly. EndNote provides an accurate citation resource that allows students to access databases across the country.

Maple

Maple is the dream for every student who has ever taken a mathematics course. Maple computes complex equations, calculates derivatives and even solves differential equations. In addition to crunching all those numbers, it offers step-by-step solutions to the math problems to allow the user a better understanding of the math and to see how Maple arrived at the answer. This can help any student enrolled in a math-related course. Tandon sophomore Abigail Rhue uses it for her electrical engineering courses.

“I love using Maple, because it’s a great and simple way for both myself and my professors to check answers to our work,” Rhue said.

VPN

The VPN the university provides students allows them to access the NYU network without actually being at NYU. For commuter students, this is essential for accessing school server-sponsored websites, which students use to file work hours. Tandon sophomore Joe Kracz uses this service almost every single day.

“I just got an apartment off campus, so I’m not currently accessing the NYU network,” Kracz said. “The VPN allows me to get on the network, so I can submit my work hours into MyTime, which only works on the network.”

Email Htoo Min at [email protected].