Going to college can feel like walking a tightrope with never-ending assignments, a tight schedule, and a social life to maintain. That’s why we’ve handpicked four apps that every college student should have.
From note-taking to productivity to citation management, these apps are designed to streamline your studies and keep you on task, and they look great too.
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When it comes to getting assignments done, Google Workspace apps are essential: These services include Docs, Drive, Sheets, and Slides, and are easier to use on mobile and desktop than the Microsoft Office Suite (now called Microsoft 365).
Google Docs is great for writing essays and collaborating in real time, Sheets makes it easy to manage data and create spreadsheets, and for presentations, Slides is great, allowing you to create polished demonstrations without going through the learning curve of PowerPoint.
Google Drive (which has its own app) ties it all together, providing seamless storage and sharing across all your devices. You can also scan assignments in Drive, which is essential for professors who require you to upload printed homework to Canvas or Blackboard.
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Unlike other note-taking and task management apps, Notion does it all: notes, to-do lists, calendars, databases, and a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to customize your workspace to suit your needs. While other apps may specialize in one function, like Evernote for note-taking or Trello for task management, Notion offers the complete package.
This all-in-one approach is perfect for students who want to stay organized and productive without the hassle of switching between multiple apps, giving them more time to focus on their schoolwork. Although there are subscription plans, the core features are free to use, and who doesn’t love free?
This beautifully designed app features a distraction-free interface that’s perfect for jotting down lecture notes, brainstorming ideas, or writing the perfect essay. The clean, intuitive design makes it easy to stay focused and organized.
With rich text editing, easy organization with hashtags, and seamless syncing across devices, Bear Notes helps you organize your thoughts and make them easily accessible. Plus, it supports Markdown for easy formatting, so you can easily turn your notes into polished documents.
Zotero is a free, open-source tool that helps you collect, organize, cite, and share research materials. As the site describes it, it’s essentially a “personal research assistant.” Zotero is a godsend when the end of the semester is coming up with multiple research papers due and you have way too many tabs for multiple assignments. To be honest, it’s a nightmare.
While other citation tools may focus solely on generating citations, Zotero seamlessly integrates with your browser and word processor to provide a comprehensive solution for your research needs.
