The technology we have today is wonderful. There is no such thing as too much help when it comes to studying. I did some research and found 5 of the best study apps for college students. By providing you with organized study materials, these study apps keep you on schedule and on-task.
The Best Study Apps for College Students
1. My Study Life
A great way to begin the school year or new semester is with My Study Life (iOS, Android, Windows, Chrome). The planner functions similarly to your regular paper planner, but it is much more flexible.
The rigidity of the schedule is one of our biggest pet peeves when choosing a planner. Every page looks the same, whether it’s hourly, daily, or weekly. It’s not like that in real life. There are times when you are busy and times when you aren’t.
One of the best features of this app is that you can add rotating schedules. Do you have a class that meets every other day or every other week? Nothing to worry about. Are you running Block A or Block B on your schedule? That’s fine with me. Layouts can be customized in this app.
There are three types of schedules in high school: quarters, trimesters, and semesters. The school year may even last all year for some schools. When you add extracurricular schedules to the mix, it makes scheduling a nightmare.
As soon as you get to college, it’s the same. Fall semester, quarter classes, winter term, spring semester, more quarter classes, May term, and summer classes follow. Colleges also use different formats, so one might use a semester schedule, while another might use a quarter schedule.
Some schools may offer winter classes, while others may not. All of that is accounted for in my Study Life.
You’ll also receive reminders about upcoming classes and assignments via this app. Task lists allow you to keep your life organized in one place, so you don’t have to worry about schoolwork. You don’t just see the classes you have and when you need to be there on your daily page. It will also show you what’s overdue or due at the end of the week.
The My Study Life program would have helped us in high school and college if we had known about it.
2. Evernote
The Evernote platform is a great place to store your research, data, or notes. You can sync your mobile devices and computer with the free basic version. You’ll need the basic package if you’re a new user or occasional user.
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.