Seven Must-Have Apps for College Students
How many times have you heard that your mobile devices are a distraction? While the answer may be a lot, there are surprisingly several apps available to optimize your learning, maintain your focus, and help you manage your time better. As a student who is often on the go, I want to share my favorite mobile apps that have helped turn my mobile devices into my best study buddies over the course of my four years in college.
1. Pearson+: Whenever I am riding the bus to and from campus, a very productive use of my time is to scroll through flashcards offline on the Pearson+ app. Even if it is just a few minutes of study time here and there, it really adds up! Many other features to the Pearson+ app include access to textbooks, an audio player, advanced note taking, practice questions, and tutoring discounts!
2. Mondly: I always wanted to study at least one semester abroad, so I use Mondly to learn languages. It’s fun, easy to use and it includes just the right amount of gamification without distracting me from actually learning. Conversation practice feels like talking to a friend, so I never have to worry I won’t be good enough in real-life situations.
3. Flora: Have you ever wanted a virtual plant? The Flora app uses gamified technology to give you that extra incentive to focus. The longer you spend working on your assignments or completing your studying, the more time your virtual seed must grow! When you choose to browse a different website or hop onto social media, then your virtual plant dies.
4. Notability: A powerful, yet simple note-taking app that allows you to make PDF annotations. On this app, I find it helpful to download class PowerPoints beforehand and take notes directly on the slides while my professor teaches the material. I also use this app to sign documents and highlight my notes as I study outside of class.
5. Google Calendar: With Google Calendar, I can quickly schedule group meetings, see what I have for the upcoming week, and receive notifications about upcoming events. Having a digital calendar enables me to sync across multiple devices like my phone, iPad, and laptop. The Google Workplace makes communication and collaboration with others extremely easy and convenient.
6. Canvas Student: At my university, the learning platform is Canvas, which is like other popular learning management systems such as Blackboard and Moodle. In this app, I can check announcements from my professors, submit assignments (quizzes, homework), access learning materials (PowerPoints, recorded lectures), and view my class grades all in one place.
7. I am: Life as a student can easily become overwhelming. Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I turn to the “I am” daily affirmations app to slowly rewire my brain and refrain from negative thought patterns. Over time, this has helped me build my self-esteem and shift my mindset. You can set affirmations to be randomly delivered to you throughout the day too!
Not convinced by these on-the-go apps yet? Well, what if I told you they are all free, though a few may have additional low-cost features. Maybe that will change your mind for all you college students. All of these have been used and tested throughout my 4-years in college. I hope you consider using more of the great study aids that are available to you!
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About the author
Erica Yap
Erica Yap is set to complete her bachelor’s degree in Corporate Finance at Virginia Tech in May 2022, after her successful completion of internships at Pearson, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and The Walt Disney Company. In her free time, she enjoys meeting new people and finding a new recipe to bake. She is a huge relationship-builder and excels when working in collaborative groups to solve problems. She enjoys being a Pearson Campus Ambassador on her campus. Go Hokies!
