Even on your best day, university can be incredibly tough. From budgeting for books, fees and living expenses to completing all your hand-ins, having a social life and studying for tests and exams - it’s certainly a lot to balance as a young adult.
Thankfully, these apps and websites were made with the purpose of making life as a student just a little easier. From making your presentations pop with impressive features to helping prep you for the real world by helping get that CV in tip-top shape - everything you need to flourish as a student could be at your fingertips.
Google Docs Voice Typing
Free in Google Docs
Google Docs is equipped with a useful tool for dictation and voice-driven editing. Voice-typing is available in Docs when running Google Chrome, however your device must have a microphone that’s turned on and working. Activate it from the Tools menu, and a microphone box will appear on your document. When you’re ready to use it, click the mic to start and begin talking in a clear voice at a normal pace. The feature is highly intuitive and allows for quick editing, the addition of punctuation and formatting, so whether you’re using it to formulate arguments in an essay, quick note-taking or documenting the minutes from meetings, it’s sure to help you organise your thoughts and get them saved in one place quickly.
Canva
Free on Google Play, App Store and web
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Canva makes design and video editing amazingly simple. Whatever the occasion calls for, whether it’s for work or play, they have a broad range of themes suited for your needs that are either fun and fashionable or minimalist and professional. The graphic design platform allows users to create anything from sophisticated CVs and business cards to snazzy social media posts and presentations, with help of the handy templates available.
Clarity Money
Free on Google Play and App Store
Track your budget, spending, savings, debt and investment accounts in one place with Clarity Money. The app allows you to organise your bills with automated expense tracking, automate your savings with a savings account and monitor recurring expenses to help cancel unwanted subscriptions. Ideal for students who are living on a tight budget who would like manage their money better.
Prezi and Prezi Video
Free on Google Play, App Store and web
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When it comes time to do a presentation, Prezi’s easy to navigate website has software that uses motion, zoom, and spatial relationships to bring ideas to life and captivate your audience. Pick from a selection of templates to get you started, make adjustments on everything from layout, colour and the removal and addition of pictures and charts. Presenting from home or via video call? Use Prezi Video to appear right alongside your content as you present—an easy and engaging new way to keep the personal connection in remote meetings or classrooms.
My Study Life
Free on Google Play and App Store
Not doing too well with organising your handwritten notes and printed handouts? My Study Life is a cross-platform planner for students designed to make your study life easier to manage. You can securely stash your classes, homework and exams in the cloud making it available on any device. Unlike a paper planner or school diary, My Study Life combines all areas of academic life for easy access from any device - see homework due and overdue for classes, meetings which conflict with your exams and even add revision tasks for a specific test.
GoConqr
Free on web
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GoConqr provides a platform for students to develop, understand and learn key concepts, topics and subject matters. Create engaging content with their mind maps, quizzes, flash cards and slides. Find out what works best for you and develop your own “learning bundles”, the website provides you with access to tools to develop your ideas, test your abilities and most importantly, track progress. Their community library also offers relevant resources tailored for students’ personal learning journey. You can share your content with friends, study groups, strangers or opt to keep it private.
The Forest App
Free on Google Play and App Store
Without being in your regular working environment - be it your res room or the university library - you may be finding it tough to stay on track with work. Plus, there are just so many distractions, literally at arm’s reach - and yes, we’re talking about cell phones. If Instagram and Youtube are eating away at your productivity, you may need to find a new motivator to stay focused. The Forest App is an amazing tool for spurring productivity. It helps people beat their phone addiction and manage their time in an interesting and pleasant way. When users steer clear of using their cell phones for an extended period of time, they earn credits which can be used to plant real trees around the world. You can also nurture your very own virtual garden which grows bigger and greener the longer you stay off your phone.