College students have a lot on their plates. Between classes, work, and homework, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with trying to keep track of everything that needs done.
The last thing you want to do is spend hours doing research for an essay or project when you could be using that time working on something else. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best apps for students!
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Best Apps For Students
There’s (almost) an app for everything nowadays, and this can make student life easier, cheaper, safer and more fun. Whether you want help with taking notes, revising, waking up on time or keeping fit, read on for our pick of the apps for students…
- Lecture capture apps
Lecture capture
Just a few years ago, students attending lectures would have to spend the entire time scribbling wildly on notepads, in order not to miss any vital bit of information. Then along came technology, and now, lecture capture apps are a reality. Although the recording of lectures has been common practice within universities for a while, lecture capture apps allow you to record and listen back to classes without having to spend extra money on expensive recording equipment.
SoundNote (iOS) is a popular lecture capture app for iPad users, acting as a notepad and audio recorder, so you can store an entire lecture in both visual and audio form. If it’s a whiteboard you want to capture, however, Office Lens allows users to photograph a whiteboard, convert it to a PDF, Word or PowerPoint file and store all the data via OneNote or OneDrive for catch-up and revision purposes.
Other than SoundNote, other good quality lecture capture apps include Notes Plus (iOS) and Audio Memos Free – The Voice Recorder (iOS).
- Revision apps
Revision apps
The revision app is in big business this century, and it seems technology has achieved what we never thought possible: making revision fun.
If you’re a flash card fanatic you might like to consider StudyBlue, a student app which uses your course information to create a selection of card sets for related revision. You can also make their own flashcards and test yourself.
Another useful revision app is GoConqr, which offers resources to create revision charts, mind maps, flash cards, notes and quizzes, as well as the ability to connect and collaborate with friends, classmates or students from around the world. Another choice is Exam Countdown (iOS), which keeps track of the days until each of your exams.
- Exam prep apps
Exam prep
There are also student apps now available for exams such as the MCAT, GMAT, LSAT and GRE tests, which are used by many graduate schools as part of the admissions process. BenchPrep uses social networking-style functionality which allows users to connect with other test-takers and peruse revision materials with quizzes, notes and more. You can also use the app to track your learning progress.
TCY Exam Prep (Android) is another exam prep app, aimed at business students in India and the US. It features study resources for MBA/CAT tests, GRE, GATE and bank exams.
- Student planner apps
Student planner
Organization is key for success and wellbeing at university, and student planner apps are becoming increasingly popular. As well as saving on paper, many student planner apps also send reminders and alerts straight to your phone or device.
Popular student planner apps include Timetable (Android), an app featuring a sharp and clean interface which you can map your timetable onto with ease. For more familiar-looking planner apps for students, consider those with a more traditional spreadsheet-style layout, such as My Class Schedule (Android) or Class Timetable (iOS).
- Bibliography helper apps
Bibliography
If you’ve ever spent hours writing up a hefty bibliography, you’ll know just how much work goes into making sure you’ve included all the information in the right places in the right format. EasyBib is an extremely useful app for students, which creates an academic reference for any book simply from a scan of the book’s barcode. As bibliography styles vary depending on where you study, EasyBib offers referencing in MLA, APA and Chicago styles. Simply take a picture of the barcode or type the title of the book into your device, et voila, professional referencing done! - Video call apps
Video call apps
Most students will be aware of video calling software such as Skype and FaceTime by now, and this technology is becoming even more easy-access as computer companies integrate quality cameras into their products and internet connection speeds get faster. As the overall technology improves, so too do the versions available on smaller devices. Using FaceTime on an iPhone has become as easy as making a call, while Skyping on a tablet makes it brilliantly possible to cook dinner/browse the web/compose a text while talking to your parents back home. Other video call apps include imo and Tango.
For tips on how to conduct a successful Skype interview (for a job, internship or admissions interview), check out this blog post.
- Student safety apps
Student safety
A number of apps for students have been developed promoting personal safety, for use both on- and off-campus. These student apps help to keep users safe if out alone at night. The Circle of Six app works on both Android and iOS, and was designed for university students to keep connected with close friends. The app is particularly useful for locating lost friends on nights out and also allows users to send their circle of six friends an instant call for help at the touch of a button. The GPS tracker will mark your location on your friends’ devices, ensuring you’ll always be able to find one another if necessary. Other student apps to promote safety include bSafe and React Mobile.
You can read about more student health and safety apps here.
- Wake-up apps
Wake-up apps
If you happen to be a persistent snoozer who always wakes up about 20 minutes too late for lectures, then Alarmy: Sleep If You Can is the app for you. Alarmy is an alarm app for students which requires users to complete small tasks (such as taking a photo of something specific or shaking the phone up and down a number of times) before the alarm turns itself off. Not only will this mean you’re alert and raring to go, Alarmy will also give you the latest weather update so you can decide whether to arm yourself with an umbrella before leaving home.
Meanwhile Sleep Cycle aims to correct its users’ sleeping pattern by waking them up during their lightest sleep phase. The app does this by monitoring both movement and the time the user went to sleep. This means you should wake up feeling less groggy in the mornings, and you might also get an extra 10 minutes of breakfast time.
Read about how to manage your time effectively here.
- Responsible-drinking apps
Responsible drinking apps
You may be a student, but that doesn’t have to mean becoming irresponsible when it comes to alcohol. The responsible-drinking app WiseDrinking charts how much you’ve been drinking, gives you suggestions about how much is safe, lets you know the optimum time to call a cab, and maps your location in relation to public transport services.
Using inputs of gender, weight and height, the app calculates blood alcohol content (BAC) levels by calculating the amount, type and timing of alcohol consumed and when the user’s last meal was. Although the app is entirely dependent on user input and therefore should only be used as a guideline, WiseDrinking can help you to stay aware of your consumption and give you guidance should you feel a little worse for wear.
- Fun fitness apps
Fitness apps
For those who would normally find running boring, the app Zombies, Run! is a fun (and funny) way to motivate yourself when jogging. The app plays your own music playlists alongside recorded audio depicting a zombie apocalypse, in which you must run from the infected. More than a little terrifying, yes, but as a super-intense workout it’s hard to beat!
If you’d like to keep your fitness routine zombie-free, other fitness apps include Nike Training Club (iOS), Sworkit, Fitbit (iOS), JeFit, RunKeeper, Strava, 7 Minute Workout and MapMyFitness. If you decide to get them all, Nudge is another app that collates all your fitness data and stores it in one place. This means you can keep track of your nutrition, exercise, hydration and sleep, without checking the progress reports from each app.
- Healthy eating apps
Healthy eating apps
If you’re keen to eat healthily while keeping to a student budget, consider downloading a few healthy eating apps. Examples I’ve come across which are perfect apps for students include Rockin Ramen (iOS), a student app featuring a number of nutritious recipes with ramen as a main ingredient, and MealBoard (iOS), an app which plans healthy meals, grocery shops and recipes based on what you’ve got in the fridge. You can read about what brain food you should eat while revising here.
Other helpful student apps
Oxford English Dictionary – to look up words on the go (free with adverts, or paid with no ads).
Dictionary.com Dictionary & Thesaurus – dictionary and word-finder for those on a budget; also works offline.
Dropbox for mobile – access and edit documents, upload photos and play your own videos anywhere.
Penultimate – a handwriting app made by EverNote, allowing users to write with a digital pen and upload the work to any device.
Skout – a friend-finder app helping students meet new people in their locality.
Socrative – student app for quizzing and assessment.
This blog post was originally published in September 2014. It was last updated in February 2019.
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best apps for students to stay organized
There are numerous apps that can help college students stay organized and improve time management. Below are some examples and suggestions of productivity apps that some students may find helpful. However, every student is different and we encourage students to explore all the options available in order to find something that fits their individual needs.
iStudiez/iStudiez Pro (iOS)
- iStudiez was named the Best College Student App in 2011. While the Pro version is $2.99, reviews by students show that the cost is worth it. This app allows you to input your class schedule and set reminders before class everyday so that you never forget where you’re going. It also keeps track of assignments and their due dates, along with exams. One of the best things about this app is that you can customize a grading scale. You can input your grades for completed assignments and exams, and the app will automatically calculate your GPA based on your school’s grading scale and the grades that you have recorded.
- Price: $2.99
Remember the Milk (iOS and Android)
- This is the ultimate to-do list app. You can create lists of things you need to accomplish on a specific day and organize these lists according to different parts of your life (school, work, personal, etc.). The app breaks down all your tasks by day or by week, and you can set reminders and recurring tasks. Great for organizing the many things a busy student has to accomplish in a day or week.
- Price: Basic: Free, Upgrade: $39.99 per year
Any.do (iOS and Android)
- Any.do is very similar to Remember the Milk. This app allows you to organize your day by creating reminders, to-do lists, notes, and events for each day. You can set recurring tasks for things you do on a regular basis. This app is known for its simple interface that makes it easy to use. It also syncs across multiple devices.
- Price: Account: Free, Premium Yearly Subscription: $26.99, Premium Monthly Subscription: $2.99
2Do (iOS and Android)
- This is a time management tool for the visual learner. It organizes your tasks using color coding so that you can distinguish tasks by type (school, work, personal). It won “App of the Year 2015” from Macstories. You can try it out with a 21-day trial on their website, but after that, you must purchase the app.
- Price: iPhone and iPad: $7.99, Mac: $24.99, Android: $3.80
myHomework (iOS and Android)
- This app is geared directly to students of any level and focuses specifically on homework/assignment planning. Users can set up times, due dates, and calendars for homework assignments. You can also input your course schedule, along with reminders for classes.
- Price: Free
Timetable (Android)
- Timetable is very similar to iStudiez above. It also keeps track of classes and assignments and uses color coordination. You can view your day or your week at a glance, and it keeps track of complete and incomplete tasks and assignments.
- Price: Free
Studious (iOS and Android)
- Students can input their class schedules with Studious, and the app will actually silence your phone during these times. You can also set the app to remind you when homework assignments are due and when your tests are scheduled. Studious comes with maps of college and university campuses so that you will never get lost. This app even connects with Facebook.
- Price: Free
Self Control (Mac)
- Self Control blocks your access to the internet or to apps of your choosing for a certain period of time to allow you to get things done without distractions.
- Price: Free
AppDetox (Android)
- This is basically the Android version of Self Control for Mac. AppDetox will block certain apps that you specify for a certain amount of time to keep them from distracting you while you work.
Forest (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Chrome, Firefox)
- Forest is an app that helps you put down your phone and focus on what is more important in your life. Whenever you want to focus on your work, you open the app and “plant a seed in the forest”. In the next 30 minutes, your seed will grow into a large tree. However, if you navigate away from the app within that 30 minutes, your tree will wither and die. At the end of the day, you will “own” a forest filled with trees (or some withered twigs) and every tree represents 30 minutes that you have worked hard.
- Price: Chrome and Firefox: Free, Windows Phone: $.99, iPhone: $1.99, Android: Free
My Study Life (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, and the internet)
- My Study Life is everything your paper planner is and more. It allows you to input your class schedule and all your assignments for each class. You can also enter information about your professors like their email address and office hours. My Study Life will send you reminders about incomplete tasks, upcoming classes, and exams and it allows you to track your progress on tasks by percentages.
- Price: Free
Conclusion
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