College is hard.
I know, I know, way to state the obvious. Classes challenge you, homework takes up all your time, and you’re trying to figure out how to be an adult. I right with you. I’m currently knee deep in junior year and fighting through dead week.
Now I’m not going to say that apps can save your life. Actually, I am. No matter what courses you’re taking or what major you’re in, I promise that at least one of these apps could save your life this finals season.
Forest
Forest helps you stay focused for 10 to 120 minutes. You get to decide how long when you set the timer. During that time, it won’t allow you to leave the app unless you kill the tree you planted at the beginning of the time.
If you still decide to leave, the tree stays in your forest forever. If you successfully don’t leave the app, you add a brand new tree to your forest.It’s a great way to track your progress and a good incentive. I hate having my forest broken up by dead trees!
Bonus points: the app comes with some soothing nature sounds to help you study.
Quizlet
I’m a strong believe in flashcards, especially for any class that requires a lot of memorization. However, I’m not very good at remembering to bring my flashcards with me to study sessions. If you’re like me, Quizlet has your back. You can create packs of flashcards available on your phone or desktop so you always have access.
Plus there are hundred of flashcard sets created by other users. Chances are, there’s one for your textbook chapter, so you don’t have to make them yourself. And there’s game options that help you learn your flashcards. I used those games to learn the periodic table freshman year.
Duolingo
I’m sure you’ve heard about Duolingo before. It’s one of the most popular language learning apps for a reason. I use it to get more practice on tricky topics in my Spanish class (Preterito, man. I just can’t figure it out) and to stay on top of my language skills during long breaks.
Duolingo has especially saved my life this semester because I couldn’t fit Spanish into my schedule. That means I went all of summer and fall daily classes. In hopes that I would retain some knowledge, I’ve been trying to do Duolingo daily just to keep the language in my head. I’ll let you know if that worked when spring semester starts.
Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com might be one of the most used apps on my phone, especially with final projects coming up. I’m an English major, so I spend approximately all of my time reading or writing. When I don’t know a word or need a synonym because I’ve used “justification” six times in the past two sentences, I turn to my favorite dictionary.
The user interface is simple, it’s a dictionary and thesaurus all in one, and it has a “learners” tab which gives easy-to-understand, practical definitions.
Shmoop
You got me, Shmoop isn’t an app. It’s a website but it will still save your life. The site offers a huge library of in depth Wikipedia type entries that are interesting. The articles have voice and crack jokes, which means you’re less likely to fall asleep when reading them. Not to mention the hundreds of study guides are FREE. No need to shell out cash to read on with this site.
I use Shmoop anytime I don’t understand any literature or don’t have time to finish all of my reading. This site saved my butt during a unit on Moby Dick. But it’s not just books. If you go through their free resources > learning guides tab you’ll have access to a ton of helpful material.
What are your go-to apps for surviving college?
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