Source: Pixabay user JESHOOTS.
Technology is a wonderful thing. And when it comes to studying, you can never have too much help. So I did a bit of research and found 5 of the best study apps for college students. These study apps are geared towards keeping you on schedule and on-task with organized study materials.
The Best Study Apps for College Students
1. My Study Life
My Study Life (iOS, Android, Windows, Chrome) is a great app to start the school year or new semester with. It functions as a planner, but with much more flexibility than your regular paper planner.
One of our biggest pet peeves when it comes to selecting a planner is the rigidity of the schedule. It’s hourly, daily, or weekly but every page looks the exact same. That’s not real life. Sometimes you’re busy – sometimes you’re not.
The coolest thing about this app, in our opinion, is that you can add rotating schedules. Have a class that meets every other day or every other week? No problem. Have a schedule that runs Block A or Block B? That’s fine. This app allows you to choose your layout.
In high school, there are quarter, trimester, and semester schedules. Some schools even go all year. Add extracurricular schedules into that mix and it’s a scheduling nightmare.
Once you hit college, it’s the same. You have fall semester, quarter classes, winter term, spring semester, more quarter classes, May term, and then summer classes. Many colleges use different formats, too, so one school can use a semester schedule, and the next a quarter schedule. Some may offer winter classes, while others don’t. My Study Life accounts for all of that.
You’ll also get reminders of upcoming classes and assignments through this app. The task lists allow you to plug in more than just schoolwork, so you can keep your life organized in one place. Your daily page doesn’t just show the classes you have and the times you need to be there. It will also show you what you have that’s overdue, or what’s due at the end of the week.
My Study Life would have helped us in high school and college if we had known about it!
2. Evernote
If you’re looking for somewhere to store all your research, data, or notes, then Evernote is the platform for you. The basic version is free and syncs between your computer and your mobile devices. For new and occasional users, the basic package is all you’ll need.
Evernote allows you to collect your information and store it all in one place. For example, if you’re writing a research paper, you can “clip” information from different websites and articles and save it all on one page. It’s an electronic folder for all your notes. No more flipping through stacks of papers to find what you’re looking for.
If you live in the world of group projects, you can also collaborate with your group mates. In addition to chat capabilities, you can also share pages with them, and they can share their work with you. Pretty handy.
For those that live on Evernote, there are upgrades (like a presentation mode) you can purchase. You can find pricing information and additional capabilities on their website.
3. Quizlet
More and more teachers are starting to use Quizlet for their classes. According to their website, over 40 million people use it when studying, each month. That’s a pretty impressive number.
So what is Quizlet? It’s a “create your own” flashcard, quiz, and study games website. There is also a free app (iOS and android) that you can download for on-the-go studying. Perfect for studying during spring break!
Unfortunately, the website’s homepage is also a superb procrastination tool. There’s a pretty nifty, extremely distracting map that shows what people are using Quizlet to study, all around the world, in real time. Cool to see, but easy to get stuck watching for 10 minutes.
But if you want to make your own set of digital flashcards, or take practice tests, this site is great. Teachers are using it to assign homework quizzes and other assignments.
4. CHEGG
Index cards can make great flashcards, but when you’re on the go, they’re not the most convenient. StudyBlue is a flashcard app that keeps all your flashcards in one place! Free and available for Android and iOS, StudyBlue can assist with homework, test prep, ACT/SAT prep, writing, citations, and more as well.
The flashcard decks themselves are made by students like yourself, as well as experts. With over 500 million flashcards available on StudyBlue, you’re sure to find the deck you need for your education. And if you don’t? You can create your own!
5. Duolingo
Duolingo is a well-known language resource that can be used on Android, iOS, and browsers. If you have to study a language for school (or you want to learn one on your own), you can use Duolingo to start from scratch or study up! Available languages range from Spanish to French and Japanese to Scottish Gaelic.
Duolingo has lessons based on your abilities, starting simply and going from there. You can test out of lessons if you already have some knowledge of the language. There are also resources to help you practice mistakes, review your work, compete against friends, and read stories in your new language.
The language study app has a free or paid version. For most students, however, the free version will do the trick.
These are only five of the many study apps for college students, but they can certainly help you advance in your classes.
Higher grades don’t only lead to honors classes – they can lead to scholarships. For merit awards, students often need to earn above a certain grade to be eligible! Want to explore what scholarships you qualify for? Get started with our Scholarship Search Tool here.
The Study Bunny app is another good one. It’s free and has lots of great study tools in addition to being just a fun motivating focus timer app!