USEFUL SOFTWARE,SITES,APPS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

BY DAVID GUTIERREZ

The development of the Internet and information technology made the life of students both easier and much more complicated. On the one hand, they have numerous tools their predecessors couldn’t imagine. On the other hand, all this multitude of possibilities can confuse and overwhelm those who are less tech-savvy. In this article, we will give a short overview of software which, if properly used, can be of great help for almost any student.

1.    Anki

Anki (暗記) is Japanese for “memory” or “memorization”, and it is exactly what this awesomely useful tool is used for. It is a fully free tool that allows you to create a set of flash cards you can use for spaced repetition that will be automatically arranged for you by the program. It is extremely helpful for studying languages, revising for exams and, basically, for any activity involving memorization. You don’t even have to create the card sets on your own – there are enough of them created by the community and dedicated to virtually every area of knowledge to satisfy any scholar.

2.    Dr. Fone

With an ever-increasing number of people joining the community of Mac users, a software that would help recover data from an iPhone or iPad becomes a more and more pressing concern. Unfortunately, absolute majority of programs claiming to have this functionality show rather limited success. Dr. Fone stands out from the crowd because it is an iPhone data recovery software that shows the highest recovery rate in the industry – which is exactly what you need if you’ve suddenly lost some data that is vitally important for your studies.

3.    LibreOffice

No matter what your major is, you are going to do a fair bit of reading, writing and working with tables, or your studies may even be primarily comprised of them. Therefore, you need some kind of software for this – and while Microsoft Office is an obvious choice, it has an important drawback. Namely, its price, which is always a sensitive subject for students. Even with discounts, you are unlikely to get it for anything less than $80. LibreOffice, however, does everything Office does and costs exactly nothing.

4.    Evernote

Evernote turns taking notes into an easy, comfortable and easily organizable process. With it, you will be able to take notes with any of your devices, from a PC to a smartphone and synchronize between all of them. At a glance it looks rather simplistic, but it once you start learning more about the software, it will become one of your constant companions and helpers.

5.    Google Docs

If you use the Internet, you should already know about this one, but perhaps you haven’t thought about its potential for a student. Although it isn’t as powerful a tool as Microsoft Office, it has many functions that make it stand out. You can use it completely online, without then need to download anything, and if you want to edit documents offline, you can always download a client. But what it really excels at is collaborative projects – when every participant has full access to the same set of documents, synchronizing efforts becomes a much smoother and streamlined procedure.

6.    Wunderlist

For those who like make lists or worries about forgetting about classes, Wunderlist offers a set of features that will help you organize your timetable, keep track of assignments and to-do lists. It is a simple yet effective tool that will serve you faithfully in and out of college.

Some of these tools are universal, some are more useful for college students than anybody else; but one thing is for sure – if you learn how to use them, you certainly will make your life a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.

About the author:

David Gutierrez has worked in the field of web design since 2005. Right now he started learning Java in order to get the second occupation. His professional interests defined major topics of his articles. David writes about new technology software and learning opportunities for techies and students