School will be out for the summer in a few weeks, which means no more lessons, homework, or early starts for the best part of two months. It’s the stuff dreams are made of, but once you’ve been out of the game for what feels like an eternity, it can be hard to readjust when the school bell rings again in September.
So, to help you get back into the swing of things when summer finally comes to an end, we’ve put together a handy list of essential education apps that’ll make you a star student in no time at all.
Dropbox
Dropbox is a godsend for anyone who struggles to keep tabs on their essays and homework.
The nifty storage solution sends all of your files from the cloud, allowing you to access them from any device or computer that has an internet connection.
That means no more getting into school or college only to realise you’ve left your project at home. Just store all of your files in Dropbox and access them in an instant.
Microsoft Office
Where would we be without Microsoft Office? The easy-to-use productivity suite serves up everything a budding student could ever need.
Take notes and write essays in Word, create slick presentations in Powerpoint, create and format spreadsheets in Excel, and access all of your emails in Outlook. Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? Well it gets better, because every single one of those apps is free on iPad. Don’t say we never do anything for you.
Paper
Paper is well… digital paper. What’s so great about that? For starters, it’s probably the most intuitive, natural way to take notes.
Instead of bashing your tablet like a maniac as you try to write down everything your teacher is saying, with Paper you can grab your stylus and take notes the old-fashioned way. It’s simple, quick and actually fun. And unlike real paper, these notes won’t get crumpled and squashed at the bottom of your rucksack.
TED
TED is nonprofit organisation devoted to sparking curiosity by giving experts a platform to deliver short, powerful talks. The captivating presentations cover everything from tech and science to psychology and filmmaking, so no matter what you’re studying, they’ll be something tailor-made just for you. Better yet, you can explore over 2,000 of those talks for free through the TED app. So, grab it today and let some of the world’s best and brightest teach you a thing or two.
Due
What is it about deadlines? An essay can be due in two months time, and then in the blink of an eye you’re pulling an all nighter wondering why you made such poor life choices. Yep, there’s nothing sneakier, but with Due, you can make yourself immune to their underhand ways. The app repeatedly reminds you of items that are due until you act on them, so as long as you tell it your deadlines ahead of time, it’ll be impossible for one to catch you by surprise ever again.
Quizlet
Quizlet is a really nifty app that lets you make flashcards for quickfire revision sessions. By creating your own questions, or choosing from the millions created by other Quizlet users, you can brush up on thousands of specific subjects or revise for standardised exams like SATs. The app will even tell you where you’re making progress, and where your weaknesses lie, letting you create targeted revision sessions before the big exam rolls around. This one really is a must-have.
Evernote
If you love note-taking more than life itself, then Evernote is going to sound like heaven on earth. Through the app you’ll be able to write, collect, and capture ideas as searchable notes, checklists and to-do lists; take notes in a variety of formats including text, sketches, audio and video; and collect web clippings that’ll help with your studies so you can read them when you get a spare minute or two. Its essentially the swiss army knife of the education world.
Office Lens
If you’ve ever wanted to carry a scanner around in your pocket, then Office Lens is the app for you. The smart software enhances pictures of notes and scribbles and turns them into readable documents. Say you wanted to turn some of your tutor’s whiteboard scrawls into revision notes, you can just snap a picture with Office Lens and let the app do all of the heavy lifting for you. It works surprisingly well, and can turn the messiest of markings into easy-to-read, editable files.
Rise Alarm Clock
Let’s be honest, one of the worst things about being a student is having to roll out of bed in the morning. And by now, you’ve probably learned to hate your iPhone alarm with a fiery passion. That’s why you should download Rise. The minimalist alarm app gently wakes users up with custom melodies and soothing sounds that slowly get louder, easing you into the day with a tactful grace.
SimpleMind
Trying to tackle a mammoth project but struggling to keep track of all the moving parts? Well my dear friend, it would appear that SimpleMind is the answer to your prayers. The agile app lets you organise your thoughts and generate new ideas by creating clean, accessible mind maps in a variety of layouts. There are an almost infinite number of ways to combine images, topics and layouts in-app, giving you the flexibility to create a plan that’s perfect for your project.