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Best Apps for Students and Everyone Else
It can be hard to keep up with all of the apps out there. There are over 425,000 apps on Itunes now and that number grows daily.
In the article 48 Apps That College Students Love, they have listed some very important apps. The apps are broken down the into the following categories: Essential Tools, Education, Communication, Entertainment, Information Management, Organization, Budget, and News.
This article listed some of my own very favorite apps, including TED, which includes some of the greatest talks from TED.com.
There are also some fun ones like Rate My Professor. Check out Posting Teacher Reviews Online – What is Rate My Professor.
There are a few that I would like to add to the list, though, that I think are awesome apps:
HowStuffWorks – This app has all of their great podcasts including my favorite from Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant of Stuff You Should Know fame.
StitcherRadio – Great way to access multiple ratio stations and more.
GoogleCalendar – Google’s Calendar is a great way to keep things organized.
Words with Friends – I like this version better than Scrabble’s and it can connect to Facebook as well.
Related articles
Facebook Making People More Empathetic
This information may come as a surprise with the number of reported cyber bullying cases. Internet Solutions for Kids reported that 17% of 13- to 18-year-olds were bullied online in the past year. However, this is low compared to the reported 40% in-person bullying.
Fear of dealing with social settings has led many to online platforms like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Some newer studies have shown that this form of online communication can be helpful for those who are shy or introverted and who may normally find social settings stressful. The WSJ article noted, “In a study of New York University students who described themselves as either socially anxious or non-anxious, participants were randomly assigned to interact in groups of three, either in-person or through an Internet chat room. Anxious students reported greatest shyness and discomfort than non-anxious students in face-to-face groups. In the chat room, however, they said they felt significantly less shy, more comfortable and better accepted by their peers.”
The American Psychological Association (APA) reported some results at a Washington, DC conference this year from 1,283 people aged 18-30. This group was asked about their time spent online and its impact on how much empathy they felt toward their online and offline friends. The participants reported “a significant amount of empathy online, and that the more time college students spent on Facebook, the more empathy they expressed online and in real life.”
Related articles
Young Adults and Unique Identity Theft Issues
As more people have embraced technology, more opportunities for identity theft have been created. PC Magazine author Larry Seltzer interviewed a cyber-crimes expert and found that there are some unique new ways that people have their identities stolen. One of the things that may come as a surprise is that misconfigured peer-to-peer apps like Limewire can share information from your “My Documents” folder.
While you may be hip to the Nigerian scams, you may not be aware of skimmers on ATMs that can read your credit cards. Seltzer explains, “These are devices which install over the reader appear to be part of the machine. When you insert your card the skimmer reads it and records the information on it. They are often used in combination with surreptitious cameras to record the keys you press for the PIN. Skimmers are especially popular on gas pump, but they are also being used on the smaller point of sale readers found in stores.”
CNN Money reported that the top consumer complaint is identity fraud. “The Federal Trade Commission counted 250,854 complaints about identity theft in 2010, according to a report issued Tuesday. That was 19% of the 1.3 million total complaints the agency received, putting it at the top of the consumer complaint list for the 11th year in a row. The most common form of identity theft was through fraudulent government documents. Credit card fraud garnered the second highest number of identity theft complaints, followed by phone and utilities fraud.”
Many young adults are going back to school soon. College students may feel they are invincible and not notice identity theft as quickly as they should. They are less likely to track their bank accounts and credit card statements. Mainstreet.com reported, “Studies have shown that it takes 18- to 24-year-old Americans twice as long to find out they’ve been the victim of I.D. fraud – which is usually too late to do anything about it.”
Wells Fargo has come up with tips for college students to safeguard their financial information.
Fraudpreventionunit.org also has listed 10 Tips for an Identity-Theft Free 2011.
Related articles
College Students Beware of Financial Aid Scams
In the recent article 15 Common Financial Aid Scams to Watch Out For, the author points out that college students may be a vulnerable demographic. So-called financial aid experts may be out to take advantage of those looking for legitimate ways to finance their education. Watch out for some of the following wording: Unclaimed Money, Buy Now, Application Fees, Free Seminar, and Guaranteed. For the complete list of scams with explanations, click here.
Finaid.org claims, “Every year, several hundred thousand students and parents are defrauded by scholarship scams. The victims of these scams lose more than $100 million annually.” There is some protection against fraud. The Scholarship Fraud Protection Act of 2000 has increased the penalties for this fraud, including a maximum fine of $500,000 and jail time.
If you feel you have been scammed, you have recourse. According to the Finaid.org site, “The following organizations can help you determine whether an offer is legitimate. They will tell you whether they have received any complaints about the company, or whether it’s currently under investigation. They can also provide you with additional information or assistance.
National Fraud Information Center (NFIC)
In addition to providing helpful information, the NFIC will pass your complaints along to the appropriate authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and your state’s Attorney General’s Office. The NFIC also maintains a toll-free hotline at 1-800-876-7060.”
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Cohabitating: Financial Reward Different for College Graduates
Just because two people live together doesn’t necessarily mean they will have a higher household income. The Pew Research Center recently analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data and found that there are 7.5 million couples, in the 30-44 age range, that are cohabitating. This analysis indicated that an economic advantage was obtained for those that were college-educated and cohabiting but there wasn’t the same advantage for married couples or those without an opposite-sex cohabitant.
Pew analyzed their economic well-being and that data was reported in USAToday: “Median adjusted household incomes of college-educated couples were $106,400 for cohabitors, $101,160 for married couples and $90,067 for adults with no opposite-sex partners. But for less-educated couples, cohabiting is an arrangement that looks a lot like marriage and may well include kids: Incomes were $46,540 for cohabiters, $56,800 for married couples and $45,033 for adults without opposite-sex partners.”
To read the USAToday article, click here.
Who’s living together?
Partnership status by education
All:
Married, 58%
Cohabitor, 7%
No partner, 35%Not a college graduate:
Married, 54%
Cohabitor, 8%
No partner, 38%College graduate:
Married, 68%
Cohabitors, 4%
No partner, 28%Notes: Based on 30- to 44-year-olds. “No partner” includes those living without an opposite-sex partner or spouse.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey, Pew Research Center