Attending college in New York City is fun, but it can be difficult to manage university life while living in a big city. Between juggling Brightspace deadlines and chasing down the NYU shuttle, it is important for students to know where to find assistance. Luckily, the solution is in the palm of your hand — literally. Here are five free apps that can make your day-to-day lives at NYU just a little bit easier.
Notion
A favorite among NYU students, Notion offers a plethora of organizational tools that make multitasking easier. It’s officially time to let go of the digital yellow sticky notes that pile up on your desktops. Notion’s customization features allow you to pick and decorate any layout you’d like, organize your tasks into calendars, to-do lists, images, web bookmarks and more.
There’s no need to ask “Who’s doing this?” in a group chat anymore. With Notion, you can create collaborative to-do lists, embed Google Drive files for easy access and store meeting recaps on a single page — perfect for any group project.
Notion is free to download as a desktop app on Mac and Windows and is available on your iOS or Android device. You can also choose to pay for the $8-a-month Plus plan, which allows for more collaborators, a longer page history and larger file uploads.
Eventbrite
Sometimes, your busy schedules don’t allow you to make it to that one event at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts you were looking forward to. Eventbrite is your free, go-to resource for happenings in the city. You can narrow down your search to a specific location, date and category — music, holidays, health and more.
Most events on Eventbrite require you to RSVP and have a ticket fee, but it’s easy to find free events using the “free” search filter. Apart from campus recruiting sessions, the platform also offers professional events, such as meetups and networking. From art fairs and rooftop parties to entrepreneur mixers and sporting events, you’re bound to find something fun or useful to do on Eventbrite.
Eventbrite is free to download on iOS and Android, and you can access and store tickets on your phone.
Citymapper
When you’re running late to your class and can’t afford to miss the next train, Citymapper is a free navigation must-have. It displays interactive maps for subways and buses across all boroughs, and transport options for subway, bus, rail, ferry and PATH schedules. It also shows live timing, as well as transit schedules, delays and shutdowns. You can also book Uber and Lyft rides using Citymapper, view Citi Bike locations and availability, and e-Scooter stations and availability.
Plus, you can store locations, like your dorm or apartment, class buildings or workplace for easier access. Citymapper is free to download on iOS, Android and to view online.
Citizen
Citizen is an essential safety tool for NYU students — the city is our campus. It sends notifications in real time to your phone with location-based safety alerts, and also lets you read reports about safety concerns in and near your area. These alerts are sent out almost immediately after a 911 call is made, or a Citizen user reports it using the app.
Citizen is free to download on iOS and Android, but you can upgrade to Citizen Premium for $19.99 a month for additional safety features like customized alerts, police and fire radio and more. It comes with its most well-known “Protect Agent,” an advanced safety agent feature that provides 24/7 safety monitoring if you’re ever in danger. It can do these services by voice, text and video messaging.
MTA TrainTime
Many students commute from Long Island to campus, and having the MTA TrainTime app downloaded is a no-brainer if you’re trying to travel to, from and within New York City by rail. The app is extremely user-friendly and allows you to easily see information regarding the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad trains. On the LIRR, you can go practically anywhere on Long Island from Penn Station. On Metro-North, you can easily go to upstate New York or Connecticut from Grand Central Terminal.
Using the MTA TrainTime app, you easily check live departure times, transfer details and store your trips for easy booking. When you’re on the train, you also can follow your trip with real-time GPS tracking. It even shows how crowded the train is, and this is especially helpful on peak trips after long Fridays on campus.
MTA TrainTime is free to download on iOS and Android. Tickets can be purchased with Apple Pay or credit and debit cards.
Contact Amanda Wang at [email protected].