The Best Study Abroad Apps for Students

Many students take a semester off from their traditional studies and head to a foreign country to study abroad. I spent a summer abroad, and although I had a fantastic time, I really wished that I had had some better apps on my iPhone to help me while I was living in Spain. Luckily, if you are going abroad anytime soon, there now are some great apps that you can download to your phone before you jump on that plane and start your adventure. So, without further ado, here are some of the best apps for studying abroad:

iPronunciation. If you are moving to a foreign country where you do not speak the language, you are bound to make some mistakes when asking strangers for directions around your new hometown. For example, try this one on for size: desafortunadamente. (It’s Spanish for “unfortunately.”) However, if you have iPronunciation, you will not make a simple pronunciation mistake that might have some awkward consequences. This app combines Google Translate and Bing Translate to translate 53 languages with the phonetic pronunciation of 17 of those languages. Bye bye, looking-up-words-in-a-dictionary. Hello, much-easier-conversations!
Word Lens. This is another app that will help you if you’re studying abroad in a country that speaks a foreign language. Have you ever looked at a menu and had absolutely no idea what you were ordering? With World Lens, you can point your iPhone’s camera at the menu, and the app instantly translates the menu into another language. Currently, this app only works for Spanish and English but there are more languages to come in the future.

XE Currency. It is so easy to overspend while you are studying abroad, especially if you are going to a country where the currency has a higher value than the USD. Luckily, this app will help you stay on budget by providing current exchange rates for more than 180 currencies.
Flight Status. Have you ever gotten to the airport on time, learned that your flight had been rescheduled without your knowledge, and been stranded at the airport because your flight left before you got to there? Or maybe it was delayed and you now have a long layover. Either way, it’s not a fun situation to be in. With this app, you will never miss your flight again. The app gives you the latest information for your flight, including departures, arrivals, and delays.
Google Maps. I once got lost in San Jose, Costa Rica. I was walking around the city in the pouring rain for three hours and could not find anyone to ask for directions. If I had had Google Maps, I would have been able to get directions back to my home and gotten out of the rain.
Studying abroad is one of the best experiences of my entire life. If you want to see some of my videos from my summer abroad, visit our YouTube page!