Must-Have Apps and Chrome Extensions for Every University Student

Being a first-year student can be scary, exciting and a bit overwhelming. This might mean you don’t have the time to find all the “shortcuts” to make your life easier. That is why I’m here to share a few things that I discovered that have helped my semester run smoothly. 

Ryerson mobile

Once becoming a Ryerson student, I recommend downloading Ryerson mobile. You will have access to D2L Brightspace where all your courses are located, grades, library services and much more. It’s nice to have when you don’t want to open your laptop and need to check something quick.

Adobe Scan (external link) 

Next one up is Adobe Scan, I like this one because when I don’t have a scanner accessible, using this app can let me scan paper documents from my phone onto my computer. It’s been handy when I’ve had to send over documents for school or if I want a digital copy of something, it’s a quick and easy process.

Gmail (external link) 

This might be a self-explanatory one, but if you don’t have the Gmail app on your phone I highly suggest downloading it as well as enabling notifications. Since starting university, my professors often communicate important information through email. Having Gmail on my phone helps me keep up to date even if I’m not on my computer.

Block and Focus (external link) 

Moving onto Chrome extensions, the first one I like is Block and Focus. It will block websites for a certain amount of time to help prevent you from getting distracted. It can be easy to get distracted with online school, this helps me stay focused instead of wandering the Internet especially YouTube.

Night Shift Redux (external link) 

Next up is Night Shift Redux, this extension helps adjust the lighting on your laptop. If you’ve heard of blue light glasses it is quite similar. It is less harsh on the eyes, especially when you’re pulling an all-nighter or have been staring at the screen all day. If you have an Apple laptop or desktop you can simply adjust your settings to night mode instead of using the extension.

Google Dictionary (external link) 

Lastly, Google Dictionary is another great extension. I find this tool most effective when I’m reading academic journals for class and come across words I’m not familiar with. I double click on the word and automatically get the definition. This extension is efficient and helps me stay focused instead of opening a new tab to the dictionary website where I probably end up on Netflix.

Hopefully these apps and extensions help you out and are effective for when you become a Ryerson student!