5 Apps You NEED for School

We're a month into school now so exam time is upon us. The positive vibes from the beginning of the year are still somewhat lingering in the air but this crucial first exam determines whether we can cling on to the hope that we ace our classes or risk falling behind. But this year, you don't have to worry about failing if you have a phone!

I'm a person who is always on the go, so I don't always have time to stop and do work from a computer or study, which is why these apps are essential for me. There may not always be a computer around, but everyone carries their phones with them everywhere, so everything you could need is in the palm of your hand.

Blackboard

The app is available for iOS, Android, and Windows.

First and foremost, get the Blackboard app. Almost all professors use Blackboard so getting this app is probably one of the most beneficial things you can do for your education. The great thing about this app is that it notifies you whenever your professor does anything - update your grades, post a new quiz, make an announcement, or upload a new document to read. These notifications are great to keep you on track with class! New updates to the app include a tab which shows you what upcoming assignments are due, which is so helpful! If your professor is not the type to use blackboard for anything other than grades, at the very least, you'll know where you stand in class.

  

 

iBooks

This is currently only available on iOS, however there are probably similar Android options.

iBooks is one of those apps that already comes on your phone when you first buy it. While your first instinct may be to delete it along with all the other apps that you never use (Pages? Keynote?), iBooks is actually a great tool you should be taking advantage of!! I'm sure all the other apps Apple has programmed on our phones probably have their advantages too but the best part of iBooks is its simplicity. This is probably the app I use the most from this entire list.

iBooks opens up all types of pdf's and e-books so it's perfect for loading up textbooks, or what I like to use them for - syllabuses. I like to load up my class syllabuses from Blackboard onto iBook so I can check up on any info I need right away! The best part about iBooks is once you open something to iBooks, it'll stay there forever so you don't have to keep re-opening it. It keeps your place where you left off, and it even works in Airplane mode so you don't ever have to worry about a slow connection or limited data preventing you from opening anything since your files are saved on the app!

Aside from using it for syllabuses, this app is great on the go from one place to another, so when I have a bit of time to kill in between classes, waiting for a bus to arrive, or even while on the bus - I'll pull this app up and read any assigned chapters for class. Getting your required reading done over small bursts of time is a great time saver and frees up your evenings to other things instead of spending a whole night reading. I know a lot of people don't like the idea of e-books, but it is honestly so convenient. Not only can I read wherever I'm at, but I can use the search function in the app to look through the book to find something quickly which definitely helps for homework.
And even when I'm not reading for class, sometimes I'll read a book for fun to kill time when I need a healthy break from social media. (In case you're wondering, I'm currently re-reading The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, aka my favorite book in her Raven Cycle series).

Wedged in between two books is a PDF of a class syllabus, which I open up frequently to check assignments.

Pocket Points

This app is available for iOS and Android.

Pocket Points is not necessarily an app that can help you keep up with class, but it is an app that you should be taking advantage of during class! This app rewards you with points for every minute you stay off your phone in class. It tracks your location so it can only work on campus and the longer you stay off your phone (aka keep it locked!), the more points you earn. Some campuses might not have Pocket Points but most should.

You can then use those points for rewards that app offers such as discounts for shopping brands like Forever 21, Lulu, Under Armour, and more online discounts from places like Amazon Prime or Papa John's. Since this app uses your location, it also offers local rewards like $4 off on campus dining in participating locations and my favorite options: free food. There are options such as free Frosties from Wendy's, free appetizers from Chili's, buy one get one free, or buy two get the third free options for places like Bahama Bucks and Panda Express. One time I even saw a reward that said 50% off a tattoo at a local tattoo shop, and as many people would know, tattoos are not cheap. The app is constantly adding new incentives to keep the rewards worth staying off our phones in class (or in the library, hint it's still on campus hint).

The rewards don't seem like much at first, but as a college student, budgeting is always super important so using this app can motivate you to stay off your phone in class in order to get those points for free food or free stuff! With this app alone I've managed to stretch my lunch money from lasting a week to lasting two weeks with the discounts I use. Use Pocket Points to be smart and shop smart!

Make sure you lock your phone once the app gives you the go-ahead in order to earn your points!

OneNote

This app is available on iOS, Android, and Windows systems.

If you're not taking notes in class with OneNote, what are you doing?! OneNote is a Microsoft Office program that allows you to create a virtual notebook and separate things by tabs and then create multiple pages within each tab. I'm probably making it sound more complicated than it is, but it's very simple to use. I swear, this thing is a life saver for note taking. In the past, I just used to create new word documents for each day's lecture and have to separate them in folders by class. But this has it all in one handy program, one click and it's all available! I never again have to search through all my files to study or look something up for class. And the best part about OneNote is that it all syncs automatically across devices, so whenever I open it up on my phone, all my newest additions are right there! This makes studying on the go so easy, so any last minute cramming before an exam can be done anywhere!

 

Typically I use separate tabs for each different class. Then I use pages within the tabs to separate each day's lectures and notes which keeps things compact and organized.

Genius Scan

This app is available on iOS, Android, and Windows phones.

This is not necessarily an educational app, but it has been so handy to have! Genius Scan is a great app that allows you to take a picture of a paper or document (maybe you need to scan an ID) and turns it into a PDF. It looks a lot more professional than simply taking a picture on your phone without all the hassle! This saves me from having to find a scanner, then having to email it from a computer. With this app I can do it all on my phone with a few clicks. You'd be surprised at how often it comes in handy as soon as you get it, but you'll be grateful you did!

 

These apps can't take all the credit for my grades improving over the years as I've used them, but they have played a role in keeping me organized with my study time. Time is money and college is expensive, so do yourself a favor and get these apps! With these up your sleeve, you'll never have to worry about falling behind again.

Got any other useful apps that help you stay on top of your classes? Let me know in the comments below!



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