6 study tools that can help you adapt to college
Adapting to the routine of studying at college is a big challenge, especially for those who are just starting their degree. After all, academic activities demand a lot of time, focus and organization. But there are some study tools that will make your life much easier.
In this post, we will present 6 applications and platforms that will not only help you in this adaptation phase, but also guarantee better performance in your studies .
The adjustment period when starting college
The differences between high school and college are huge. Therefore, this phase marks a period of great changes in the student’s personal and academic life.
When a student passes the entrance exam and is accepted into a university, he or she believes that the feelings of anguish, anxiety and nervousness from the preparatory stage will pass. But that is not what happens.
Due to the many responsibilities and new things that come with college, this period of adaptation can bring up some very unpleasant feelings. The situation is even more complex if the student leaves their parents’ home and moves to another city.
On the other hand, this is a great opportunity for maturity. With dedication, organization and responsibility, the freshman can develop professional, personal and interpersonal skills that are very important for his/her life.
To get through this phase of anxiety without losing control, there are many tools that help you organize your time, your college subjects and your study routine, as well as providing input for your research. And it is about these applications that we are going to talk about now!
5 Study Tool Tips That Can Help You in College
The internet is full of platforms and applications that help us organize ourselves and are sources of a lot of useful information, especially for those who attend college.
So, check out these resources and try downloading them to your smartphone or computer. You’ll find that some of them will be useful not only at university, but also in your professional career !
1. Trello
Trello is known as one of the most efficient project and task management tools. Organized into boards and card lists, it adopts the kanban method to organize information, very similar to post-its stuck on a board .
With highly adjustable features, it adapts to the needs of each user. Its flexibility is such that it can be used to organize studies, plan trips, manage daily tasks and create schedules.
Its main functions are free. The application can be accessed via the browser in its web version. But there are also versions for iOS , Android and Windows 10 .
2. TedEd
TED is a non-profit organization that organizes talks to share inspiring ideas. One of the project’s branches is TedEd , which is focused on education.
When accessing the website, go to the student-oriented tab. On this portal, you will find several videos organized by subject. To motivate your learning, there are also questions in the videos that can be answered in order to assess your performance.
3. OneNote
One of the biggest challenges for college students is organizing so many notes from different classes. Of course, notebooks are traditionally an efficient tool, but there is now a digital version with much improved functions: OneNote, developed by Microsoft.
We can say that OneNote is a digital pocket book with awesome capabilities. It is split into notebooks, sections and pages. Sections, in flip, also can be grouped. This makes it very easy to prepare your topics in a logical manner.
OneNote pages let you type, write by hand (using an S-pen, for example), draw, paste images, build charts, insert Excel spreadsheets, and attach documents. For example, you can attach pages from a PDF handout and annotate over the digital document.
The application is completely free and is available in its web version and for the Android , iOS and Windows 10 platforms , of course.
4. Evernote
While OneNote is the perfect digital notebook, Evernote complements your work as a repository of documents, information, and notes. Of course, it can also be used to take notes, but its strength lies in its ability to collect and organize data so that it can be easily found later.
After just a few months of college activities, you will notice the large volume of information you will receive, whether related to the subjects or not. So, the idea is to use Evernote and save all these records. The mobile app already comes with an integrated scanner that easily captures images.
When you need to find any record, just use the app’s search function and voilà, everything will be just a few clicks away. The information is organized in a system of notebooks and notes, it’s that simple.
The service is free and available on the App Store and Google Play . But you can discover the full potential of the application in the Microsoft store for use on your desktop. We can’t forget the web version either , which is especially useful in emergencies.
It’s worth noting that the free version doesn’t support syncing between 3 or more devices and doesn’t allow you to store notebooks offline. However, if you always have an internet connection, this won’t be a problem.
5. Google Calendar
One of the most used and efficient tools for managing your time is Google Calendar. If you are an Android user, you probably already have it installed on your smartphone. So, just use it!
The search giant’s calendar organizes all your appointments in a colorful, dynamic and intuitive panel. You can reschedule them by simply dragging the boxes. Don’t forget to explore the virtual assistant’s features and schedule appointments via voice command, which makes your day-to-day life much easier.
All functions are free, of course. In addition to Android , the app is also available for iOS and, on your computer, you can access the calendar via your browser .
You will still find many good suggestions for study tools, but it is best not to distribute your information across so many different applications. This can make you lose focus and end up not finding your records when you need them. That is why we have chosen to present the most important ones that are adaptable to different learning methods .