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Best college laptop for 2020: Apple, Microsoft, Dell and more. Find an affordable laptop for every type of student. The best apps for college students are the ones that can simplify your life and make your time in school more enjoyable. Your mobile device could become one of your most-used school supplies. After all, apps exist that can help you meet all of your deadlines, study more efficiently, stay connected to the people who matter most, and manage. The best Mac apps for 2020 By Mark Coppock October 9, 2020 If you’ve heard the phrase, “Once you go Mac, you never go back,” you know it holds true. Limited-time offer; offer may end at any time. Free Apple TV+ access for students ends when you no longer qualify or do not renew your Apple Music Student subscription. Offer good for verified college students only and does not extend to a Family Sharing group. Top 10 apps every college student has on their phone or computer! How to contact police in an unsafe situation, increase productivity, budget your money, get.
College is a heady time. New places, new friends and new beginnings come with new challenges. Despite (or perhaps because of) excessive warnings about how “different” college will be from educators and parents, new college students are often overwhelmed by the new expectations. If you don’t want to succumb to stress, you’ll need some apps to help keep things organized. Taking notes effectively is a crucial part of succeeding in college. And depending on your professors’ teaching style, you may need to take rapid-fire notes from lectured material. If you want to keep up, you can either learn shorthand or keep digital notes. Most of us type faster than we write (or think, in some cases) so you can stay up to speed easily. Once you’ve settled on taking notes digitally, you’ll need to find the best app. While Apple’s Notes is okay for quick lists or doodles, if you’ve got a Pencil, it’s not powerful enough to organize lecture notes. Here are the contenders for the best note-taking apps for college students on the Mac.
Evernote
There’s a ton of note-taking apps for college students out there, but Evernote is by far the best. It should be no surprise that it’s included in this list. It’s accessible, flexible and versatile, with powerful organizational options and deep third-party support. It offers the most reliable sync, PDF annotation, and support for a wide range of document types. Text styling isn’t as expressive as it could be, but the use case is more about collecting and organizing content from a ton of different places. Using the Web Clipper extension, you can grab content from JSTOR, Wikipedia, Google Scholar and more, then annotate your clips in Evernote. This feature alone is a godsend when you’re doing a ton of digital research, and it far surpasses the utility of Pocket or another read-it-later service. You can sync between two devices for free (Mac and iPhone, for example) or pay a few bucks a month to sync to unlimited devices. If you have a few extra dollars, it’s well worth the fee.
OneNote
If you don’t love Evernote, OneNote is an absolutely great alternative. If you’ve already got Office for Mac, OneNote is included in your subscription. It features many more formatting options that Evernote, but the design concept is a little different. It’s heavily optimized towards typing notes, rather than collecting information from a wide variety of sources. You can still include images, graphs and PDFs in your notebooks, but that function isn’t as integrated as Evernote. Essentially, OneNote is a different graphical interface for Word, designed to expose more organizational features. If you like Word, you’ll love OneNote. Users that want to recreate the flexibility of a spiral notebook will be pleased with the expanding formatting options, but we’ve never found typing in Word to be that delightful. If you already have an Office subscription, give it a try: you’ll probably find something you like about it!
Bear
Bear is designed to make note-taking beautiful. It relies on plain text MarkDown formatting, applying roughly the same range of formatting options that Evernote allows. Notes are organized into collections based on hashtags, so there are no notebooks to be created and organized. It’s more like a flexible tagging structure. Barcode 1 10 – professional barcode generation software. The app is definitely built for simple note-taking, and doesn’t have as many organizational features as Evernote or OneNote. Depending on how you feel about those apps, that might be a turnoff, or it might be appealing. There’s limited support for adding pictures and files to Bear, but you won’t have the in-place annotation tools you get from Evernote.
Simplenote
Simplenote is a cross platform, plain text note taking app that’s much beloved by minimalists. If you want to keep your note taking really simple, then Simplenote will be perfect for you. The simple, clean layout is a joy to use, and it’s free of distracting formatting features. However, it lacks a lot of the secondary features that make Evernote and OneNote so powerful. Of course, if you’re dedicated, you can take create text-only formatting to organize your notes. Multi-platform sync is great for folks with a ton of devices. And if you need to take notes on the fly, you’ll find the fast mobile app useful for quickly capturing inspiration. But if you need something that can collect input from a wide variety of sources, you’re better off looking at Evernote.
nvALT
nvALT is built for Notational Velocity, a note-taking platform designed for lightning fast, keyboard-only operation. Its perfect use case is during a phone call. When you want to write something down quickly, you tap the key command, which reveals nvALT from the menu bar. Then, you start typing, and the note is saved immediately. You don’t need to title it, tag it or do anything else. While it’s amazing for that use, it doesn’t provide the broad use that other apps offer, so it might be a little limiting as a note-taking app for college students.
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By Publisher
| Last Updated October 21, 2020
| Last Updated October 21, 2020
The best apps for college students are the ones that can simplify your life and make your time in school more enjoyable. Your mobile device could become one of your most-used school supplies. After all, apps exist that can help you meet all of your deadlines, study more efficiently, stay connected to the people who matter most, and manage nearly any aspect of your college experience.
Many college apps are free or affordable, which is great news for a student on a budget. When thinking about which apps to add to your mobile device, check first to see if your college, university, or trade school has its own app. Depending on the capabilities of your school's app, you may be able to access calendars, courses, events, and other important information that keeps you more connected to your campus or online program.
Like most college students, you've probably downloaded quite a few popular apps already. They might include social networking and entertainment apps like Facebook, Instagram, Kindle, LinkedIn, Netflix, Skype, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube. Many of those apps are very fun and useful, but additional apps are available that can help you elevate your college game.
So make sure you have lots of space on your phone, tablet, or other mobile device for the new apps you'll want to download. Check out apps that can help you with:
The apps and prices listed below are current as of June 2020. Pricing and availability are subject to change at any time. We also recommend that you read the user agreements prior to downloading any apps.
College Apps for Studying and Completing Assignments
Apps have changed the way college students learn, study, and complete their homework. You can find incredible apps that may revolutionize your learning experience. Creating your own custom flashcards, renting textbooks, and finding study guides for almost any subject you can imagine are just a few of the things you can do with the apps below.
1. My Study Life
Easily store and organize your class schedule, study assignments, exam times, and more. This digital planner makes it simple to set reminders for important tasks and upcoming events.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
2. Brainscape
Take advantage of modern flashcard technology based on cognitive scientific research for the most effective study methods. You can create your own cards or browse through thousands of subjects and pre-made cards. You can also track your learning progress and collaborate with your peers.
- Price: Free (upgraded subscriptions available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
3. Chegg
Save money with one of the best college student apps that lets you rent or buy textbooks for a fraction of the price. You can also get assistance with completing your homework and access live tutors, textbook guides, flashcards, and more.
- Price: Free to download, but requires in-app purchases
- Available on: Android and iOS
4. CliffsNotes Study Guides
Quickly access literature study guides for a number of titles right in the palm of your hand. You can gain access to summaries, cram plans, quizzes, and much more for most of the top literary titles that you might study in college.
- Price: Free to download; $1.99 for each in-app purchase
- Available on: iOS
5. Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster, or Oxford Dictionary
Never be left searching for the perfect word or wondering what a certain word means. Now you can have access to an entire dictionary on your hand-held device. Several different dictionary apps are available, so compare them and find the one that offers the best user interface and features that you prefer.
- Price: Free (upgrades and in-app purchases available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
6. Duolingo
Learning another language has never been easier. You can learn how to speak, read, and write other languages through a fun and easy-to-use app that turns learning into a game.
- Price: Free (in-app purchases available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
7. EasyBib
Forget spending hours citing your research references; EasyBib does it for you. The app includes multiple citation styles, including APA, Chicago, and MLA.
- Price: Free (premium subscriptions available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
8. Evernote
Use an app that takes note-taking to the next level. With Evernote, you no longer need to pack around a pen and notebook. You can brainstorm ideas, make to-do lists, take pictures of pages and sketches, organize everything into a notebook format, and share with others or collaborate as a group. The app even has the ability to search handwritten content, so finding your past notes is easy.
- Price: Free (upgraded plans available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
9. iHomework 2
Enjoy one of the top-rated education apps for staying organized. You can keep track of all of your assignments, deadlines, and tasks, and plan them out over a certain time period so that you're not left cramming at the last minute. You also have the ability to manage your courses and instructors and log your grades so that you always know your academic standing.
- Price: Free (premium subscriptions available)
- Available on: iOS
10. iTunes U
Discover thousands of audio and video files of free lectures, lessons, books, and other learning materials from universities, museums, and public organizations from around the world. Your college or university instructors may also integrate their classrooms into the app so that you can easily access your coursework at any time.
- Price: Free
- Available on: iOS
11. LitCharts
Download a completely free app that helps you understand the literature that you're currently reading. Find reviews, summaries, themes, and quotes for hundreds of titles without any in-app ads.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
12. Microsoft Office Mobile
Gain mobile access to popular software programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft Office products that you use. With a 365 subscription, you can store your documents in the cloud and access them from any of your devices.
- Price: Free to download; requires Office 365 subscription
- Available on: Android and iOS
13. RealCalc Scientific Calculator
Ditch the stand-alone scientific calculator and complete all of your computing right from your mobile device. This app looks and operates like the real thing. And you can take screenshots of your calculations for quick reference at a later date.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android
14. StudyBlue
Use this app to create flashcards and notes. In addition to adding, organizing, and storing all of your notes and other course materials, you can upgrade to get access to a library of more than 350 million study materials and guides.
- Price: Free for the basic version
- Available on: Android and iOS
15. Wolfram|Alpha
Discover why this app is referred to as a computational knowledge engine. It's different than a regular search engine because it can answer questions, perform computations, conduct analysis, and prepare reports. You can get help with complicated algebra and calculus equations or find chemistry, engineering, or physics formulas. Uncover the knowledge you need in almost any subject from astronomy to life sciences.
- Price: $2.99
- Available on: Android and iOS
College Apps for Managing Your Time and Staying Organized
Keeping track of life's day-to-day details can be a tall order for anybody. But when you throw time into the mix, things get extra challenging, especially for busy college students. Thankfully, many great apps are available to make everything a little more manageable.
16. Alarmy
Ensure that you get out of bed on time and have a good start to your day. Alarmy forces you to wake up and makes it nearly impossible to oversleep. You can adjust your settings so that when your alarm comes on, you have to take a picture of a certain spot in your living space in order to shut it off. Or you may choose to shake your phone for a pre-set amount of time or solve a complicated math problem so that your brain and body becomes wide awake right away.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
17. Dashlane
Never forget a password again. You can safely store all of your passwords in one spot, generate unique passwords for all of your accounts, and use the app's secure mobile wallet.
- Price: Free (paid subscriptions available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
18. Sleepzy Sleep Cycle Tracker
Fall in love with the smartest alarm clock you'll ever have. You can assign a half-hour wake-up range and the alarm will come on at the most optimal time based on your sleep patterns. The app also tracks your sleep quality, and it will even notify you when you have a sleep deficit.
- Price: Free
- Available on: iOS
19. Google Workspace (formerly G Suite)
Keep all of your Google accounts right at your fingertips. You can access Sheets, Slides, Drive, Calendar, Gmail, and all of the other Google apps from any of your devices. It makes keeping organized, staying connected, and completing projects and assignments incredibly simple.
- Price: Free 14-day trial (after that, as little as $6 per month)
- Available on: Android and iOS
20. Instapaper or Pocket
Start using one of the convenient website bookmarking apps in order to keep track of the many articles you want to read later. You can read items online or offline in a mobile-optimized view. Your content is easy to organize and sort, and you can access it from any of your devices. Plus, text-to-speech technology means that you can simply listen to it if you prefer.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
21. iStudiez Pro
Take advantage of this powerful planner to stay on top of your busy college life. You can schedule daily and weekly tasks and assignments. You can also easily manage your assignments and homework and record your class schedule, course and instructor details, holidays, and current grades and GPA. In addition, the app can sync with your device's cloud storage and calendar.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
22. MEGA
Get 50 GB of free cloud storage so that you can manage and share your files from any device. This app eliminates the need to stress about how you're going to store all of your files.
- Price: Free (upgrades available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
23. OFFTIME
Use this app to disconnect and avoid distractions when you need to focus. You can block websites, apps, text messages, phone calls, and other notifications for a set period of time so that you can't be interrupted or distracted. The app can also track your phone usage so that you can see how you're spending the majority of your time.
- Price: Free for Android; $0.99 for iOS
- Available on: Android and iOS
24. TinyScan
Turn your mobile device into a portable scanner. You can take a picture of anything and turn it into a shareable PDF that you can email or send to other storage apps like Dropbox or Google Drive.
- Price: Free to download (in-app purchases available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
25. Todoist
Use the ultimate to-do list app to keep your busy life on track. You can manage all of your tasks, even if you're offline. You can schedule deadlines and create sub-tasks and sub-projects in order to keep everything flowing smoothly. The app even lets you share tasks and projects with others and track your productivity.
- Price: Free to download (in-app purchases available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
Best Apps for Handling Your Finances
For many college students, managing their finances is a top concern. Do you relate with that? There are a variety of safe and secure apps that can help you plan a budget, pay your bills, and live within your means. Check out the following favorites of many students just like you.
26. PocketGuard
Use one of the simplest budgeting apps on the market for viewing a snapshot of how much money you have available for spending. With PocketGuard, you can easily see what's left over (by the day, week, or month) after addressing necessities like bills and savings contributions.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
27. Mint
Easily manage your finances, bank accounts, bills, credit cards, and investments from just one app. Along with staying on top of your bills and keeping track of your credit score, you can review your spending habits and see where you may be able to save money.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
28. Scholly
Stop worrying about how to find scholarships you're eligible for. Scholly offers a simple and effective way to find scholarships, track your application progress, manage deadlines, and access other resources that can help you win money to help pay for school.
- Price: Free to download (premium subscriptions available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
29. Cash App
Download this app so that you can conveniently and securely manage your cash. It's like a combination of a wallet and online banking. You can send and receive payments, make purchases, and conduct other financial transactions.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
30. Venmo
Use this digital wallet app to easily and securely send money and make purchases. It's a great app for college students who need to split bills or the costs of social events and outings.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
Top Apps for Caring for Your Health, Safety, and Fitness
College life is busy. With so much studying and socializing, it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself. Check out these health and fitness apps that can help you stay safe and in shape while on campus.
31. Couch to 5K
The name says it all. This popular running app helps you get off the couch and start building your stamina so that you're eventually able to run five kilometers (or 3.1 miles). All it takes is a commitment of 20 to 30 minutes, three times per week, for nine weeks.
- Price: $3.99 for Android; $2.99 for iOS
- Available on: Android and iOS
32. First Aid by American Red Cross
Keep expert health and medical emergency advice at your fingertips with this awesome app from the American Red Cross. You can find out how to handle any first aid situation in an instant with advice that you can count on.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
33. Headspace
Discover the amazing power of meditation and take control of every area of your life. You can work through easy-to-follow, step-by-step meditation practices, track your progress, and share with your friends. This app helps you take some of the unnecessary stress out of your life.
- Price: Free for basic membership
- Available on: Android and iOS
34. MyFitnessPal
Easily keep track of what you eat and how many calories you consume with this handy app. You can input your daily exercise, track your steps, and even scan barcodes. Managing your health has never been so simple.
- Price: Free (premium subscriptions available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
35. Pocket Yoga
Take your yoga practice with you wherever you go. Along with access to a number of instructional guides, illustrations, and a dictionary of poses, you can also track your progress.
- Price: $3.99 for Android; $2.99 for iOS
- Available on: Android and iOS
36. PumpUp
Join an online fitness community where you can share your health goals and receive support during your fitness journey. You can find hundreds of workout videos and tips and even hire a certified coach (for a fee) if you need some help reaching your goals.
- Price: Free (upgrades available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
37. Sworkit
Gain access to personalized video workouts. You can choose from pre-built workouts for specific types of exercise—like strength training, yoga, or Pilates—or parts of your body and keep track of your progress as you go.
Good Macbook Apps For College Students Login
- Price: Free (premium upgrade available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
38. Wholesome
Find ratings for healthy recipes from all over the Web and obtain personalized nutrition information. This app can even identify your personal nutrition gaps and make suggestions for the best whole foods to eat.
- Price: Free (upgrades available)
- Available on: Android
Best Apps for Socializing and Staying Connected
A big part of college life is staying connected to the social scene. You'll likely be making new friends and trying out new activities. Many apps can help you stay connected to your friends and groups. Take a look at several of them below.
39. Group and Individual Messaging Apps
So many messaging apps are available that we've grouped some of them together instead of listing them separately. They tend to offer the same basic features. These are all free college apps for Android, iPhone, and other devices. Most of them will connect through WiFi, so they don't use up your data or make you limit your contact with your family, friends, peers, and groups. You can often make phone calls, send text, audio, or video messages, and share photos, videos, and emojis. Aside from popular apps like Facebook's Messenger, some of the other top social apps for college students include:
Best Apps for Shopping
College students are wise to stretch their dollars as far as they can. That's why you may want to check out some of the top shopping apps that can help you find excellent discounts on everything from dorm room furniture to midnight snacks.
40. Amazon
Gain access to millions of products right at your fingertips. You can read hundreds of product reviews and make one-click purchases for just about anything you need—from school supplies to non-perishable food to clothing.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
41. Groupon
Use this app to find incredible daily deals in almost every consumer category you can imagine, including dining, shopping, and traveling.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
42. Zulily
Cd 18 90. Uncover amazing deals every day for a huge selection of consumer goods ranging from shoes and clothing to housewares.
Best Macbook For Student
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
Best Apps for Finding Entertainment and Staying Current
College is all about balance. It's important to plan some downtime. Whether you want to kick back and relax in your dorm room or go out on the town, here are some apps that can help you do exactly that.
43. Feedly
Get access to your favorite publications, podcasts, videos, and blogs—all in one app. You can easily stay up to date on the news that matters most to you and share it throughout your social media channels.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
44. Foursquare
Discover the favorite go-to entertainment app of many college students. Find the best restaurants, bars, and entertainment establishments wherever you are.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
45. Scribd
Enjoy this reading app that gives you access to a huge selection of audiobooks, magazines, news articles, sheet music, and other published materials.
- Price: Free (upgraded subscriptions available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
46. TED
Expand your mind, explore your curiosities, and listen to inspiring talks from experts in almost any field.
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
47. Yelp
Find the best places to drink, eat, shop, and have fun. You can also read what other people have to say and write your own reviews about your experiences.
Best Macbooks For College Students
- Price: Free
- Available on: Android and iOS
Great Apps for Listening to Music
From studying to exercising to relaxing to road-tripping, college students usually have epic playlists with them wherever they go. Take a look at some of the top music apps that are available for download.
48. iHeartRadio
Access unlimited music and audio entertainment via thousands of radio stations, podcasts, comedy shows, and more.
- Price: Free (upgrades available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
49. Pandora
Create personalized stations based on the music you love, and choose from hundreds of genres to build your own stations for every mood or activity.
- Price: Free (upgrades available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
50. Spotify
Discover more music than you can possibly imagine. You can choose from thousands of artists, albums, and pre-made playlists, or you can make your own playlists based on your current mood. Additionally, a paid subscription enables you to listen offline.
- Price: Free (upgrades available)
- Available on: Android and iOS
Top Apps for Finding Jobs
Whether you're preparing for summer break or approaching graduation, finding a job may be on your mind. Luckily, apps are available that can help you land the kind of job you're after. Check out the possibilities.
51. Resume-Building Apps
Great apps are now available that provide all the tools you need to create a winning resume on any of your mobile devices. They can help you highlight your knowledge, skills, and job and educational history in a way that promotes your best attributes and attracts employers. Consider apps such as:
- Resume Star (iOS only)
- iResumes (Android and iOS)
- My Resume Builder (Android only)
52. Job Search Apps
Instead of scouring the Internet for hours, you can download some exceptional apps that search for jobs and deliver potential opportunities directly to your handheld device. Some of them even provide the option to upload your resume and apply directly for advertised positions. Check out a few of the most popular job search apps below. They're all available on Android and iOS devices.
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Sometimes, it becomes necessary to explore new educational options. Whether you want a change or just need an easy way to discover some practical training programs in your area, we've got you covered. Use the following search tool to easily find vocational colleges, career-oriented universities, and trade schools near you. Start by entering your zip code.