25 great apps for university students
Nowadays having a smartphone is as natural as wearing socks. However, the way we use our phones and what part of our lives they take depends on us. Every day hundreds of new apps get released by different developers. Some of the apps are just for fun, some are made to ease our lives and some of them are made to help us making it through college and university and pass them with flying colors.
Being a student means you will need to wake up early almost every day, but there are a lot of things that will get in your way. For example, studying until late, finishing your paper last minute or simply partying with your fellow students. There are a lot of mobile apps ready to destroy your sweet dreams and not let you dive back in the ocean of slumbers. Some of the most popular and most used apps are:
The best learning apps for students
- Coursera – For students that want to have a university that will fit in their pocket. The app consists of 1000 courses on every topic you can think of. You will have lectures, reading assignments and videos. When you finish a course you will even receive a certificate – some courses are free, for some you will need to pay for – in any case it is worth checking it out.
- Duolingo – Student abroad? Start learning a new language step by step with interactive games and exercises. The app is completely free! You will start from the basics and by completing each level it will be getting harder and the exercises will become more complicated. Take out your phone anywhere start the app and learn a new language.
- Khan Academy – An app that teaches you more traditional subjects like science, math, physics, economics etc. A great application where students can exercise and revise some of the things they already learned or they can learn completely new skills in a certain subject. Definitely and app worth checking if you want to save some money on extra lessons.
- Udemy – You want to learn how to use Photoshop? Or maybe you want to boost your speaking skills? How about improving your cooking (good to know how to prepare some cheaper meals as a student, right?)? This is the app that will help you in all these areas and more. Browse more than 65 000 courses, read reviews and start learning.
- SoloLearn – An app developer that created many apps striving to help you learning computer programming. Learn HTML, Java, C++, Python, Java Script, PHP, C#, SQL, CSS and more… Each computer language has its own app, so install it and start learning on the bus to the university campus. You will have quizzes, you will be able to write a code in the app and test it, you will be able to share your code with friends and fellow students and you can even have coding races with peers.
- Photomath – Yes, an app for math students. Maybe you already guessed what it is about just by reading the name – take a photo of an equation and transfer it directly to your phone. Then the app will make the calculations and give you the right answer. Moreover, it will completely explain the whole procedure and how it found out the correct answer. No more struggling with math – students can get their personal teacher on their phones.
- Quizlet Go – Make a study set with useful documents, diagrams, pictures etc., or start using someone else’s. Just open the app and search for the topic you need, get help from some random good hearted students that already shared their study materials with everyone using this app.
You are an organized student; you know when and where all of your exams and tests will take place, but we are all human and we forget things. No worries, the smartphones and their apps are here to help us! There are so many apps for keeping track of tasks and time that you will need an app to include and arrange all of them:
- Todolist – One of the very useful apps out there. What makes it different is that you can put priority on your tasks. The interface is easy to use, you can separate study tasks from normal day life tasks. You can set up recurring tasks, like paying the internet bill every month.
- Pocket – Imagine you are browsing your phone in the break between classes and you find some really interesting stories, or some fellow student sends you a newsletter with some good promotions, but you don’t have time to read it now. Save it in Pocket – it doesn’t matter what the source is – you can save stuff to check later from everywhere: internet browser, Facebook, email, chats and more – all saved in one app.
- Smarter Time – The best way to organize your life is to track how much time you spend on certain activities during the day. Smarter Time helps students tracking it even automatically, after it gathered enough data for their activities, of course, and on the phone sensors. The app will tell you what time you spend on social media apps and chats. In the end it will even give you suggestions how to optimise your day.
- EverNote – As the name suggests it is a note-taking app, but it is not just that. The app can be used on all of your devices and it collaborates with other apps like Google Calendar, Google Drive, Dropbox and more. A great app for task management that can be used either only by yourself or by a group of fellow students you work together with on different study projects.
- Exam Countdown Lite – The perfect app for students – it has only the purpose to keep track of your exams, course works or tests. Set up the day and the hour and the app will tell you how much time you have left until the important date – in minutes, days, weeks or months.
Mathway
Oh yes, your math homework or tests may be quite challenging. It is so easy to stuck trying to find the right answer. Try Mathway—the mobile application that will guide you step-by-step while you search for algebra, geometry, or any other math solution. Enter your task into the application, and check if your solution is the same with one offered.
If you’re a student who uses Apple devices, you will be happy to know that you have access to iTunes U, which gives you access to different educational courses from all leading universities for free! Did you dream of studying at MIT, Oxford, Yale, or Cambridge? This is your chance to do it from your own place: download this amazing app, and learn various subjects from the best colleges and universities in the world.
EasyBib
What is the most difficult stage of essay writing? The majority of college students would probably say: creating a list of citations (do not forget that you have to know MLA or APA style to format it). If you are one of these students, EasyBib is the right app for you to download. Just enter a book’s title and get the right citation! All you have to do is copy this citation into your bibliography.
How often do you forget about the date and time of your test? Do you always know the deadline of your homework, the time of your next lecture, and the subject of your next class? Thanks to Studious, this problem will be solved once and forever. All you need to do is to enter all information about your class, time, professor, location, etc., and this cool application will remind you about it just in time!
Tinder
College is a great time to meet new people and explore your sexuality, and Tinder is a great tool for meeting new people to do just that. You can also enroll in Tinder U with your college email, which prioritizes other students in your swiping.
Tinder collects your usage information, device information, and other information you share with your consent like geolocation. Tinder shares this information with other uses, service providers and partners, and other MatchGroup businesses. It may also ask for your consent to share your information with third parties like advertisers in a "non-human readable form." You can read Tinder’s full privacy policy here.
Pomodoro
Pomodoro is a great time management app. It operates on the Pomodoro method which has you work for 25 minutes straight with no interruptions and then take a five minute break. I wouldn’t have finished my thesis without the aide of the Pomodoro method. Sorry Android owners, this app is currently only available on iPhone.
Pomodoro collects data such as your IP address, location, and information like the amount of time on the app, but says that it uses such information "to create, develop, operate, deliver, and improve our products, services, content, and advertising." The app also allows you to opt out of location information and that "information cannot be linked to a particular user unless that user manually provides us with their anonymized, randomly-generated device or user ID." You can read its full privacy policy here.
Resources:
https://www.master-and-more.eu/en/25-great-apps-for-university-students/
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/25-apps-college-students-shouldnt-live-without.html
https://mashable.com/article/best-apps-for-college-students
https://www.ntaskmanager.com/blog/best-apps-for-college-students/