5 apps to help you study and get through the first semester

Not all assignments are created equal. That’s right. We might only be in the early stages of the calendar year, but for students across the country, there isn’t a better time to roll up their sleeves.

To help you figure out what’s needed, and what might need to go, we’ve compiled our five favourite study apps to help you keep on schedule and get through the first semester.

Microsoft Office Lens

Note-taking can sometimes be an arduous and long-winded task, but it doesn’t have to be.

The recently revamped Office Lens app allows you to turn your phone or tablet into an all-in-one scanner. Gone are the days where you’d need to take notes on the go, hoping you’ve covered your bases.

In a nutshell, while using your camera, the app will convert images of business cards, documents, whiteboards or anything similar, into documents that can be accessed at your earliest convenience through OneNote. Once you’ve gone through its permissions, the app primarily operates through your mobile/tablet camera, working as a real-time viewfinder.

Once you’ve lined up the destination of choice, including glaring whiteboards or margined paper, the app allows you to crop images and save the information for future use.

SoundNote

When you think of note-taking, methods such as writing or transcribing are often the first tasks that come to mind. However, thanks to the creative minds behind SoundNote, there’s now another way.

Primarily used by students, but by no means limited to them, the app tracks what you draw and type when recording audio, all while syncing up your notes at the same time.

Mind blown? Ours certainly is. SoundNote is also heavily used by industry professionals such as writers, editors and journalists due to its accessibility across multiple devices.

We often record more audio than we need, and without realising, our notes or visual prompts are often crucial to our thought process.

SoundNote allows users to skip back to precise points of audio, simply by tapping the note that was left at the particular time of recording. It might sound like a luxury, but when time is of the essence, functions such as the above can often make a noticeable difference.

Evernote

There’s nothing more frustrating than losing your train of thought.

Enter Evernote — a single place that stores all of your thoughts, ideas, lists and reminders that can be accessed at the click of a finger (or touch of a button). The app comes in both basic and premium forms, with the latter offering an ultra-handy offline feature.

After signing up for a free account, you can hit the ground running almost instantaneously, whether that is typing up notes, adding attachments, or even clipping up your most regularly visited webpages.

The benefits of the app can alter depending on its primary use, but the bulk of its subscribers prefer EverNote for its multi-device synchronisation, document scanning and PDF search functions.

StudyBlue

The methods in which we study can vary from person to person, which begs the question — why should we all study the same way?

Like many apps, the design and mission of StudyBlue is to help deliver better grades. However, unlike most, its study tools are heavily linked to a library of over 400 million flashcards, a tried and proven method that many would’ve experienced growing up.

StudyBlue also offers a slew of cloud-based services, including study reminders and topic-specific decks that reveal the answers to your questions, just as you’ve created them.

The app also allows users to break down their flashcards into separate topics, helping avoid any unnecessary confusion along the way.

SelfControl

It’s easy to get distracted at the best of times, let alone when a deadline is approaching.

Sometimes it’s best to set up safety nets in advance, to help you stay on track and focussed on your goal. Where possible, it’s always helpful to eliminate any opportunities for procrastination.

Drum roll, please. Introducing your concentration’s new best friend, SelfControl.

The aptly-named service helps users create periodic time blocks that blacklist your most frequently visited websites. Better yet, until your timer runs out, there’s no other option but to continue studying (or working).

For the creatively minded, even if you restart your device, the websites will remain blocked. Say goodbye, procrastination — and wave hello to your newly-found levels of productivity.

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