10 must-have apps for college students

Increasingly, colleges, like most other institutions, are going digital. They post reading materials online, accept project and assignment submissions online, and even display grades online. Students, suddenly confronted with this overwhelming list of things to be done online, might get a little panicky in the initial stages. But fear not. The following list of apps will reduce your digital fear and prove that digital has its advantages as well. Get started with these, and transform your mobile into a top of the line study centre.

Please note: All the apps listed below are cross-platform, and can be used on Apple, Android and Windows devices. Unless otherwise mentioned, all apps are free, or at least have a basic free version available.

Evernote

For those who use pen and paper, Evernote is like a traditional notebook with superpowers. Evernote helps students keep everything organized with a tonne of essential features. You can enhance notes with checklists, links, attachments, audio recordings, and more.

You can save content from webpages directly into your notebook, sync your content across devices (which basically means that you can access your notes from anywhere, using computers, Android devices, Apple devices, etc), attach your handwritten notes to your notebooks (handwriting is also searchable in Evernote), and add tags to your notebooks and notes to find them easily later. With the free version, you can sync your notes across two devices, search for text inside images, clip web pages, and more.

My Study Life

Use My Study Life like a digital version of a paper planner. This planning app makes your study life easier to manage. All you need to do is enter your time table, test schedule, project submission dates, etc and the app will remind you of all the things that need to be done. With this app, you will never miss a deadline again. Don't worry about losing internet, because the app has an offline mode as well. Moreover, the app is also available across platforms, so you can access your schedule from anywhere.

Cam Scanner

With this app, use your phone's camera to turn your phone into a portable scanner. Now, you don't have to worry about running to the library to scan specific textbook pages to prep for your next test. Simply scan them in high quality using your phone and upload them to your favourite cloud storage server. You can also send your scans directly to the Evernote app, mentioned above. Cam Scanner also has optical character recognition functionality, which basically means that you can turn your scanned images into editable and searchable text. This will certainly come in handy in your little toolkit of apps for college students.

Quizlet

Do you study with flashcards? With Quizlet, discover what flashcards look like in the 21st century. Create your own flashcards to study, or use a study set that someone other user has created. There are study sets on a wide variety of topics to choose from, including economics, sociology, literature, chemistry, physics, biology, etc. You can also create multiple choice quizzes on various topic and use them for revision. This app is the ideal cross-platform revision tool for all your study needs.

Offtime

Use this app to disconnect and avoid distractions when you need to focus. You can block websites, apps, text messages, phone calls, and other notifications for a set period of time so that you cannot be interrupted or distracted. The app can also track your phone usage so that you can see how you are spending the majority of your time. If you're an easily distracted procrastinator, this app will come in very handy, since neither rebooting your phone nor deleting the app can stop the timer.

Dragon Dictation

Have you ever wished you could just lie on your bet and dictate your assignments and writing work to a stenographer? Then this app is the write one for you. Dragon Dictation uses accurate voice recognition software to let you speak and instantly see your words in text. Dictate statuses to your social networks or pretend you are talking to someone if you are trying to write a speech — even send statuses straight to your social networks. Try this if you are in a time crunch and really need to churn out an essay, or if you are just someone who prefers speaking over writing.

Circle of 6

This app is for college students who want to make sure that someone always has their back. You select six people to use as your safety contacts. If you are ever out somewhere in an unsafe situation, then you simply click once to have a text go out to your circle asking for help. You can also send out your location or send a message requesting a phone call to help you leave a bad situation. Additionally, the app lets you text your circle if you need someone to talk to, and it includes helpful links and hotlines for anyone who needs to reach out.

Feedly

This news app curates news from multiple news websites for your easy viewing. Moreover, you can also get access to all your favourite blogs, podcasts, videos etc easily in one place. You can easily stay up to date on the news that matters most to you and share it throughout your social media channels.

Pocket

Pocket is a convenient website bookmarking app to keep track of the many articles you want to read later. You can read items online or offline in a mobile-optimized view. Your content is easy to organize and sort, and you can access it from any of your devices. Plus, text-to-speech technology means that you can simply listen to it if you prefer. This is the idea app for people who would love to, but don't really have time to read news. Use this app to read / listen to your news while commuting to and from college.

TED

Ted is a place for unique ideas. Watch inspiring new inventions, ideas and technologies in your field of interest being explained by their inventors. Broaden your horizons and think about new ideas, which, I think, is the most important skill to develop in a college student. Ted will help you achieve an open mind about your field, helping you discuss and debate ideas within your circle of friends.

Bonus app recommendation: Nike Training Club is an app you can use to stay fit in college. Yes, it is important to study and meet deadlines in college, but you might also find a need to keep yourself fit during this crucial time. Gain access to personalized video workouts. You can choose from pre-built workouts for specific types of exercise—like strength training, yoga, or Pilates—or parts of your body and keep track of your progress as you go.

The above list should hopefully get you started on some of the different things that are possible to do with the help of your phone, tablet or laptop. No matter what kind of student you are, or what kind of needs you have, you'll hopefully find something to fit you in the list. This new year, take a resolution to go digital, and see how it impacts your student life.