Imagine getting through college without the Internet. Luckily, millennials don’t have to.

Smartphones have made staying informed, organized and connected easier than ever. For a more manageable freshman year, incoming students should be equipped with the right apps to navigate college and stay in the loop at Syracuse University. New students should take advantage of this technology to look no further than their own palms to email a professor, celebrate the latest Orange win or sell old textbooks.

In college, email is life. This semester, when waves of emails start pouring in, freshmen can stay afloat by setting up their SU email on the iPhone Mail app. When students can easily access their inbox, it becomes easier to rejoice at last-minute class cancellations, jump on time-sensitive opportunities and get reminders about class registration and housing. Your email account will keep you up to date.

Was there an email about SU email setup for iPhones? Probably, but if it’s buried in a slew of other mail, these instructions can also be found on the Syracuse University website under Information & Technology Services.

Incoming students may have heard once or twice that SU likes sports. And sports are a huge part of our campus culture, which means missing a game is no excuse for missing a play.

SU Athletics is among the first departments to launch a collegiate iPhone application to keep fans in the loop. With the app, students can find out who Syracuse will beat next with access to news updates, schedules, scores and rosters for every Orange team.

The app also features live Twitter updates for an integrated experience. It allows users to hear what SU die-hards are yelling about in the app’s Fan Buzz stream, and listen to coaches reflect on the game with the Coach Talk feed.

Like athletics, websites such as Blackboard and MySlice are staples to life at SU. Student use these sites every day to communicate with professors and check class schedules, grades and assignments. These apps are home screen must-haves for easy access and a higher grade point average.

In the same way that Mom cares about grades, she also cares about safety. The SU Department of Public Safety does too. The DPS app is an important resource to ease parents’ minds and keep new students aware of unfamiliar surroundings.

The app integrates a variety of DPS information, resources and social media posts on one platform. It displays a map of DPS Public Safety notices and features a combined message feed with live safety updates and Orange Alerts. It automatically imports important DPS phone numbers into the user’s contact list, ensuring support with the tap of a finger.

Before the student body realizes it, it will be the end of the spring semester and we will all want a Block Party concert ticket, but will only have seven dollars in our bank accounts on average. Remember these powerful words: used textbooks.

Cashing in on textbooks has never been so efficient. With SU Bookstore’s Sell Used Textbooks app, simply scan the book’s barcode, click “get price” and receive an instant quote. There – now you have $57. Go get ‘em, big spender.

Was that ETS class cancelled for the day? Who will the Orange beat at its next basketball game? Get your tech-tools organized and set yourself up for a smooth transition into college life. With an arsenal of apps to keep students informed, the Class of 2019’s first year is sure to be a success.

Alison Gala is a senior public relations major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at aegala@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @alison_gala.

Published on August 26, 2015 at 9:36 am