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Packing for your first year of college can be intimidating. From a college-ready wardrobe to dorm room decor to a laundry backpack (something I highly recommend), packing lists are so long that I could make an entire blog series about them. One under-appreciated element of preparedness as a college student is the amount of new technologies that you’ll have to become familiar with, whether for use in the classroom, socially, or personally. To give your App Store some advance-recovery time, here are three apps that will be useful during your Jumbo journey that you can download before venturing to Medford/Somerville.

1. Canvas

Gone are the days of Google Classroom and the always-satisfying “Mark as Done” button. Canvas is here to stay. From hosting syllabi to serving as a discussion board to being the one-stop shop for assignment guidelines and submission portals, Canvas is a site that will be a key to success in all of your courses. While primarily used in its website form, I still recommend downloading the Canvas app. It is easier to use when submitting pictures of assignments and can be employed to quickly check due dates or instructions while on the go. You’ll also receive assignment and grading notifications from the app, which often do not populate on laptops. Put simply, Canvas will be the most used site and, in turn, app during your academic career at Tufts. 

2. Slack

Though its name invokes laziness, Slack is far from a place in which responsibilities are shirked. It is the ultimate message board and workspace for pre-professional organizations and clubs at Tufts. Moreover, it is used in many workplaces in the professional world, so gaining experience with it as an undergraduate will make the post-grad transition easier. Slack is divided into workspaces for each club that you use it for, and each organization is then subdivided into channels and direct messages. For instance, in the Tufts Daily Slack, each section, from Features to Sports, has its own channel, with the entire staff also having a larger channel. Other features within Slack include threads, audio huddles, bookmarking capabilities, canvases, lists, tasks, and the ability to create your own profile with an updated activity status. Overall, Slack houses a variety of tools, is the best way to streamline communication within student organizations, and offers an introduction to workplace interactions, making it a must-download.

3. Tufts Dining Mobile Order

Slack and Canvas may be useful for schoolwork or clubs, but the Tufts Dining Mobile Order app is essential for satisfying your hunger. And, after all, that is the most important thing. Beyond letting you know what on-campus dining options are open and what the day’s menus are at Dewick-MacPhie and Carmichael Dining halls, the app allows you to place and track mobile orders for on-the-go bites at Hotung Café, Commons Marketplace, Hodgdon Food-On-The-Run, Kindlevan Café, Tower Café, and Pax et Lox Kosher Deli. Simply put, all of your daily meals can be ordered and tracked on the app. Many times, I have ordered my morning coffee from Kindlevan, lunch at “Hodg,” and dinner from “Pax,” while capping off my weekends with Late Night at Commons, all from the app. It can be a real time (and hunger) saver! There is also an in-app reward system featuring challenges and contests. It's always nice to open an app and see positive encouragement and get perks just from ordering dinner. Plainly, the app is the best and most delicious place to utilize all of your meal swipes. 

So, to be better-prepared for your time at Tufts, be sure to download these three apps. While you won’t find them on any packing lists, they’ll ensure that your classes are organized, you keep up with messages from the clubs you join, and, most importantly, that you don’t go hungry. And, best of all, they’re all free!