Five Essential Free Apps For Students

Being a student is not easy, but technology has made it a little easier to cope with hectic schedules and workloads. These days, many apps are available online that can assist with almost every aspect of student life. The best part is that you don't even have to spend any money on them as plenty of free options are available. Some of these should be familiar to all students, but a few are not as well known and are worth a closer look. So, whether you don't have the time to try out all the options or don't want to clutter up your phone and computer with useless software, here are five of the best free apps available right now for students.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is the most obvious choice for a time management app as it is very functional, free, and available on Android, iOS, and PC. If you are one of the students whose method for keeping track of everything is simply trying and remembering, then Google Calendar can be a game-changer. A tip that all students can benefit from is not just to shove all your tasks in Google Calendar. Instead, use a different app for keeping track of tasks while reserving Google Calendar for stuff that has to be done at a certain time. To get started with Google Calendar, check out their useful help center for more information (https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/2465776?hl=en&ref_topic=10509740).

Microsoft To Do

While you can cram your Google Calendar full of all your tasks, it is more efficient to use a separate app. One of the most feature-rich task managers is Todoist, but the free version has a lot of limitations compared to the paid options. For a completely free alternative, Microsoft To Do is a great option. It is a cross-platform task management app that can be accessed at home on your computer or on the go using your phone. Tasks can be broken down into simple steps with reminders to keep you on schedule. Even better, it makes it easy to collaborate with fellow students for tasks and assignments.

Microsoft OneNote

Taking notes while attending lectures is a big part of student life, but scribbling down things in a notebook is not the most efficient way to do so. This is where Microsoft OneNote, a cross-functional notebook for all your note-taking needs, shines. OneNote functions as a digital notebook that can be divided into sections and pages. It is easy to navigate and search, so losing notes or searching through a mess of papers to find the information you need is no longer a concern. OneNote works across all your devices, and features such as type, highlighting, and even ink annotations can be used to make your notes even better. OneNote also supports media, so everything from audio notes, online videos, and files can be added to your notes. This works great in conjunction with Office Lens, which is another free app for digitizing notes and other information. Notebooks in OneNote can even be shared with your fellow students for collaboration.

Sololearn

No matter what career path you intend on following, the chances are good that you can enhance your career prospects with an understanding of coding. Even if you are already learning to code, it can be helpful to have an app that allows you to prep for tests on the go. One of the best options is Sololearn, a coding app for people of any experience level. Sololearn features unique courses covering everything from Python Core and C++ to Java, JavaScript, SQL, Python, and much more. Sololearn can be used on the web or on the go. It allows you to learn, create and share programming-related content with other students and professionals using this community learning platform around the world. Sololearn is free on Android, iOS, and Web with a premium subscription available called Sololearn PRO.

Google Drive

Google Drive is a free and very straightforward to use cloud-based storage service. Storing your files online is not just a great way to ensure that you can access them at any time but also safeguards you against losing valuable information in the event anything bad happens to your PC or laptop. Furthermore, the files stored on your Google Drive can be accessed from any device that you access it from, so you can seamlessly shift from computer to mobile if required. In addition, Google Drive makes it easy to share files with students or teachers. Google Drive is useful for more than just storing files, though, as it can also be used to create, edit, and collaborate on documents. Another free alternative to Google Drive is OneDrive by Microsoft, which also offers a lot of integration with productivity apps.

Conclusion

There are plenty of other free apps available that are useful for students, but the five mentioned in this article will help you be more productive, manage your time more efficiently and collaborate with others. They have also been around long enough to prove their worth and have become indispensable for many students. In addition, the versatility of these apps means that they continue to remain useful whether you are studying at brick and mortar institutions or online.