What’s the best to-do app/manager for grad students? —Lists Aren’t Cutting It
Well, to start, some of the better-known ones are Any.do, Doit.im, Remember the Milk, Todoist, Toodledo and Wunderlist. Keep, Trello and Workflowy are also popular, though they’re not exclusively to-do managers. And some people swear by a text file or just paper. But the best recommendations would probably come from fellow grad students! If you have a suggestion, please leave it in the comments!
Ask the Grad School Guru is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students. Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guru doesn’t know the answer, the guru will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guru is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) Submit a question for the column →
This is boat weather! UW students can rent kayaks and canoes from the Waterfront Activities Center for much cheaper than general public rates.
The New York Times is currently running a great deal for students (new subscribers only): A digital subscription for $1/week. Want to read it for even cheaper? You can access the NYT through UW Library databases, though you won’t get any visuals or layout.
ASUW Bike Shop offers repairs, products and classes at great prices and offers a 10% discount to students. Better yet, you can work on your bike for free in their space and learn bike skills so you can take care of your bike yourself. Knowledge, the ultimate discount.
Why pay for Netflix? The UW Libraries Media Center has thousands of DVDs for your viewing pleasure. Not just B&W French films, either. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is sitting on the shelf at Suzzallo right now!
The last thing you want to do is take more classes, but maybe there’s a gap in your knowledge or skill base you want to fill without paying more tuition. The UW offers free online courses, based on popular classes offered by UW degree and certificate programs.
UW students with a valid Husky Card are eligible for all sorts of discounts, from retail to tickets to services to travel. (Note: the site is specifically for faculty/staff, but all discounts should also apply to students as long as you have a Husky Card. Call merchant for confirmation.)
The IMA is free to use if you pay the Services and Activities Fee (Bothell and Tacoma students can pay to join), so you might as well take advantage. Besides the fitness center, the IMA offers a pool, climbing center, personal trainers, classes, roller skating, etc. Additional fees may apply.
Gold Star offers 1/2 price tickets on events around the Puget Sound area.
I commute by bike and spend most of my day in a shared lab space. What are my options for showering and storing my stuff?
—Anonymous
First of all, good on ya for biking! Don’t forget, Bike in the Rain is coming up! So your best option is the IMA, which is free (because it’s included in the Service and Activities Fee) to all Seattle campus students. Bothell and Tacoma students can join for a fee. If the IMA is too out of the way for you, ask your building coordinator if there’s a shower in the building for use. For storage, again, check with your building coordinator if there are lockers you can use. Otherwise, a great resource is the brand-new Commuter Commons in the HUB, which has storage units and a changing room. (It’s sponsored by First Year Programs, but completely open to graduate students.) The HUB also rents out lockers in the basement. Happy riding!
Ask the Grad School Guru is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students. Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guru doesn’t know the answer, the guru will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guru is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) Submit a question for the column →