What's the most useful Mac software for college students?

So you're about to go off to college in the fall or maybe you're going back. You've probably got the essentials to live your life, toiletries, appropriate clothes, etc. but do you have the essentials for your computer?

1. Throughout your years in college you're going to be typing a lot of papers. This isn't new information to you I'm sure, but you want to be best prepared and on a Mac that means not going with the norm of Microsoft Word.

Pages (www.iwork.com - $79) is the way to go on a Mac - a word processor built for Macs from the ground up. What does that mean for you? It means that your word processor was designed around Mac's software architecture and not as an after thought for a companies' main market. It will also run you about half as much as you would pay for Microsoft Office. Pages runs extremely efficiently, loads quickly and will give you everything that you get from Microsoft Word without the bugs and lengthy loading times.

As an added bonus since you won't be touting Microsoft's Office suite on your computer it will give you an easy out from those pesky group Powerpoint presentations.

2. Next you'll need a good Instant Messaging client to keep in touch with your friends who don't use Facebook Chat, Twitter or Text messaging.

Adium (http://adium.im/ - Free) is the best IM client for Macs. Not only is it open-source, it's incredibly customizable with a large group of developers and designers eager to create new themes, dock icons and more. Adium did tabs way before iChat and did them right.

One thing that's missing though is a video chat feature which comes built into iChat. Adium developers say that the feature is coming in Adium 2.0 (which has no release date) but wait, there's Skype!

3. Skype (http://www.skype.com - Free) is an Internet telephony application that's available across all operating systems so no matter what kind of system you or your friends have, Skype will work for you. In my first year of college I used Skype often to video chat and keep in touch with friends and family all across the country. It's a breeze to install and you'll be video chatting with your loved ones in no time. Skype is a must have for any computer, really.

4. Maintenance: MacUpdate (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/16790/maintenance - Free) is a great application to have around for keeping your computer in good, working order.

You know every once in a while when your computer gets buggy and noticeably slower? That's when Maintenance comes in handy. Just click a few boxes, enter your password, step back from your computer and let Maintenance do the rest. It will repair your disk permissions, clear out half-downloaded files and rid your computer of all of those things that were just left lying around, buried somewhere with no grunt-work on your part.

5. A good browser is a must and Macs, like Windows, have a large variety of browsers to choose from. Safari, which comes with your Mac, is a fantastic and speedy browser that will take care of all of your needs.

I use Firefox (http://www.getfirefox.com - Free) too, right alongside Safari. Though it may hog a few more of your system resources Firefox in some instances out-performs Safari making it the obvious second choice. I keep them side-by-side in my Dock just in case I feel like using one or the other.

Browsers like Opera and Camilla will vie for your attention but pay no attention to them. Go with the two big guns on the Mac, Safari and Firefox.

6. You also need a good Bittorrent client. College kids are strapped for money right? That means you'll just have to get all of your music and movies for free off of the Internet.

I recommend Transmission (http://www.transmissionbt.com/ - Free). Transmission is extremely lightweight "with few dependencies and written in C, Transmission has the lowest memory footprint of any BitTorrent client we've seen," according to Transmissions developers.

[Note from Dave Taylor: I do not endorse using bittorrent applications to download illegally copied commercial material, but there's also other data accessible through the torrent networks, including entire operating system distributions. As with any tool, please use it thoughtfully and for good.]

7. Last but not least is Adobe Photoshop (http://www.amazon.com/ - $195), something that everyone should have on their computer and have a modicum of skill using.

Whether it's blurring out the Bud Lights in your hand at parties so you can show your friends on Facebook that you go out or actually using Photoshop for academic purposes, the fact that you need Photoshop is really an understatement. You're going to need to design things in college, whatever it may be, and Photoshop is the only way to go. This is the student version too so you're getting major discounts from the full Creative Suite package.

I hope this list will come in handy and these applications will treat you well. I just got done my first year of college and I used each one of these apps extensively. Whether it's design, keeping in touch, or acquiring your favorite music and movies, these Mac apps will help you out along the journey that is the college experience.

Zack Shapiro is the Social Media Outreach Editor and staff writer for the CU Independent. He is also an active blogger. You can find him on his website ShutUpInternet.com and on Twitter as @zackshapiro