The best free apps for students

26 September 2018

Robert Duke
Student at desk with ruler and phone

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the start of a new uni term. Often there’s so much information being thrown at you that it's difficult to know where to start, and things can quickly get out of control if you haven’t got systems in place. 

Don’t worry, help is at hand! We’ve compiled a list of our favourite free student-friendly apps to help you stay on top of your workload.

Trello 

When you’re dealing with multiple projects, breaking them down into bite-size tasks is always advisable – but you’ll need something to help you keep a track of where you’re at with each one. 

Enter Trello: a ‘kanban’ style card sorting and list making app that you can access from any web browser or mobile device. Handy! 

You can create separate ‘boards’ for different projects, then all you need to do is fill up your ‘to do’ list with task-cards and then move them along to ‘doing’ and ‘done’ lists as you progress.

It’s visual. It’s simple. It’s super-effective for getting your ducks in a row. Go get it.

Google Drive / Apps 

Sometimes overlooked, but never outgunned. Google Drive is basically an online filing cabinet you can access on any device with an internet connection. 

We recommend signing up for a new Google Drive account and then using your login to take advantage of the free, integrated apps including: Google Docs, Sheets and Slides - cloud-based equivalents to Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint (respectively). Files save automatically when you’re updating them on the go, and the free storage capacity is huge (15 GB). Bonus!

Google Calendar is also an excellent option for time-tracking and setting reminders on your phone. 

Flashcards+ 

Got an exam coming up? Writing out flashcards is a tried and tested revision technique. Flashcards+ allows you to create and store snackable revision info online. 

It's free, easy to use and you don’t need to worry about losing cards or wasting paper. That’s what I call a win-win.  

Share Your Board 

It’s a good idea to take photos of the whiteboard when the lecturer is moving through subjects quickly, but if you’re just adding them into your camera-roll, it can be hard to make sense of everything afterwards.

Share Your Board allows you to collect and organise photos into customisable folders, meaning you’ll be able to refer back to specific lectures and match up the information with your notes easily.

Voice recorder

Some people find it useful to record their lectures - and most smartphones come with a default voice-recording app. 

All you need to do is make a recording, title the sound files appropriately with a subject and a date, and you’ll be able to easily refer back to them in the coming months. Simples.

Of course, this takes up a lot of space on your phone, so make sure to move the files onto your laptop as you go.

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