College life is not simple. With balancing assignments, exams, and side hustles, students prefer discovering tools that simplify studying and make learning more effective. The good news is that there are quite a few lesser-publicized but extremely useful platforms that perform the primary task of facilitating students to learn, organize, and deliver better academic work.
Following is a well-researched list of 10 handy tools that assist students in smart studying, understand better, and deliver improved results!
Coggle
Coggle is a visual mapping application that helps learners organize their thoughts, create relationships between ideas, and structure thoughts. It is just great at outlining courses like history or literature where cause-and-effect and timelines are paramount.
It allows students to build dynamic mind maps that include images, links, and comments, which help them grasp complex information more efficiently. Group members can collaborate with co-authoring features that let them collaborate in real time and make study sessions more interactive.
EssayPro Plagiarism Checker
Academic integrity is the road to success, and plagiarism is maybe one of the fastest ways to lose credibility. This is where the EssayPro plagiarism checker comes in handy. With this feature, students can check their papers immediately against a vast database of sources to make them original.
It is particularly beneficial before submitting essays, research reports, or even small assignments. With accurate results and legible reports, students can be assured that their work is academically valid.
Unlike some other generic plagiarism scanner programs, this program was designed with students specifically in mind, and it has a friendly and intuitive interface with precise scans.
Cold Turkey Blocker
The biggest productivity killer is distractions. Cold Turkey Blocker is a utility software that allows students to block distracting websites, programs, or even the entire internet for set times of day.
This software is especially useful for procrastinators. By providing a venue for a contained environment, it reminds students to work and perform deep work. Unlike simple timers, Cold Turkey is not easily evaded once started, so your study sessions won’t be disrupted.
Zotero
Research-based courses have the tendency to weigh down learners with sources, citations, and bibliographies. Zotero is a free reference management software that makes it easy.
Students can gather research sources from websites, journals, and databases, and then automatically create citations and bibliographies in styles such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. Zotero’s browser add-on enables one-click saving, which is much less stressful than having to deal with dozens of references for essays and research papers.
Otter.ai
Lecture note-taking is difficult, especially when teachers speed through subject matter. Otter.ai corrects this with its transcription feature. Students can record lectures and have the lectures automatically transcribed into searchable, shareable notes.
The tool highlights keywords, summarizes, and even allows collaboration with classmates. For auditory learners, Otter.ai is a blessing since it translates oral words into organized study material.
Scrivener
Though initially developed for writers, Scrivener is a great utility for students who write lengthy works such as theses or research papers. It enables them to divide lengthy works into pieces and organize them in one location.
Scrivener’s organizational tools – like virtual corkboards, hierarchical folders, and drag-and-drop editing – break up complicated assignments into manageable pieces. It is particularly useful for students writing lengthy academic papers where organization and clarity are paramount.
Mendeley
Mendeley integrates reference management with academic networking. Mendeley assists students in organizing research papers, annotating PDFs, and creating bibliographies. The exclusive strength of Mendeley is that it has a social network – users can network with students and search for relevant papers from common libraries.
For science and engineering students, Mendeley is especially convenient since it supports technical journals. It even includes an integration with Microsoft Word, so citing becomes extremely simple when writing essays!
Trello
While sometimes applied to project management, Trello has long been a student favorite for structuring academic work. Its board-and-card system makes it possible to set to-do lists, monitor deadlines, and visually chart group projects.
Students may set task priorities, delegate work within group projects, and include due dates or checklists.
Focus@Will
The innovative platform brings together music and neuroscience for peak productivity. Focus@Will has scientifically designed playlists carefully to enhance concentration during study time. Unlike general music applications, it offers ambient noise specifically tested to minimize distractions while maximizing concentration.
Students may pick tracks appropriate for their work behavior – among those are soothing soundscapes or inspiring beats. It’s especially helpful if you are not distracted by background music but don’t want lyrics to be in the way.
WritePaper
And lastly, for students in need of additional academic support, WritePaper has an array of useful tools and services at their disposal. They consist of writing tips, proofreading, and study guides that enable students to produce top-quality assignments.
While not software, the information included here contributes to the online resources by providing individualized advice. For the sport/student balancing athlete part-time worker, and pretty much for anyone working under workload stress, WritePaper’s services may be a safe space where you can both learn and free up your time.
Wrapping Up
Studies in the fast-paced academic world can be intimidating, but tools are the solution. From mind-mapping software such as Coggle to plagiarism detection software such as EssayPro to tailor-made services such as WritePaper, students can use websites that enhance learning and achieve it faster.
The secret is to find the perfect mix of tools that suits your individual learning style. Whether you’re struggling to concentrate, keeping up pace, or enhancing writing, these 10 alternatives offer consistent support for college life problems.
By incorporating them into your workflow, you will not only learn but also have the confidence that your schoolwork is supported by better tools!
