(BPT) - Soon after back-to-school season ends, a new one begins for parents of college-age kids: "send-me-something" season lasts for the whole school year. This year, instead of sending your college kid yet another care package filled with cookies and other stuff they may not use (or will have to share with roommates), why not give them these college-friendly apps?
Here are five apps that should be on every college student's must-have list:
* Venmo. Keeping track of cash or a credit card can be a hassle for busy college kids. This payments app allows users to pay individuals or businesses using their Venmo account, link a bank account, make payments in other mobile apps, and transfer money into and out of bank accounts. Just be sure kids take proper security precautions with their mobile device to protect their payment app. Visit www.venmo.com to learn more.
* Course Hero. While many learning apps provide great general information, Course Hero delivers course-specific learning tools. Students can search the app's more than 18.5 million educational resources by their college and course names to find material that's specific to their courses. Students can also interact with a worldwide educational network of 20 million students and educators, ask tutors for personalized homework help, share study resources and find the best information for hard-to-complete projects. Learn more at www.coursehero.com, or download the free app in Google Play Store.
* Flipboard. Between multiple social media accounts, cable news and newspapers, there's a lot of information out there. You want your kids to be informed, but you also don't want them spending half their day scrolling on their devices. Flipboard combines all the feeds from a user's social media networks and curates news stories in an up-to-date, personalized magazine to help students get rid of the clutter and read the news that matters to them. Find more information at flipboard.com.
* Alarmy. College kids can find it hard to drag themselves out of bed in time for that 8 a.m. class, especially if they were up late studying the night before. Sometimes an ordinary alarm just won't cut it - it's too easy to keep hitting 'snooze' or just turn it off and go back to sleep. Alarmy forces students to get out of bed by requiring them to take a specific action - such as using their mobile device to take a picture of an item in their living room, or solving a math problem - to turn off the alarm. The app is available at https://alar.my.
* MyFitnessPal. 'The freshman 15' is not a myth. College kids can find themselves gaining much more than a few pounds over the course of their college careers. Busy schedules, sleep deprivation, convenience foods and lack of exercise can undermine students' good health. This app helps students track key health factors such as nutrition, diet and exercise. It's available at www.myfitnesspal.com for either Android or IOS devices.
Fortunately, there's an app for virtually every aspect of college life. And while no one has yet made an app that can replace a parent's love, gifting your college student with a digital care package is a great way to show your support throughout the school year.