Have you ever encountered one of these situations?
You’ve finally set a goal to study for the night, but as soon as you click on Canvas the website miraculously turns into Netflix? You set yourself two hours to study, but find your surfing the web 15 minutes in? Or just can’t find the right way to cite for your WRDS 150? We’ve all been there. Technology helps us study but also distract us. There are some free apps that can help you concentrate and help you study better. Check out down below and see the apps that can help you to get straight A’s!
I have been using the following apps throughout my university career. Not only have my grades increased by 10% on average, but my schedule has also become way more organized! In the following article, I’ll introduce the apps I used to achieve my success. Also, I’ll show you the pros and cons of each one.
1. Grades Calculator
Grade Calculator apps help you keep an eye on how you are doing in your classes. Simply put in your syllabus and the percentage worth of each assignment and you are good to go! The app will remind you the due days for each assignment. Also, you can set a goal mark for each course. Then, the app will calculate the grade that you need to get for each assignment. Nevertheless, our new system, Canvas, now has clear result on your grade for each assignment to look up. So, when you receive a grade from your class what you can do is…
- Receive a grade from your class or Canvas
- Look if the grade is mark in percentage out of 100 or the percentage in the term
- Input the grade into the app accordingly
- See the result to know if your grade will reflect what you’d like to average in the course
- If not, look up how many percentage points you need to improve on future assignments
- Well done!
This app helps me lots on tracking grades. The free calculation uses for these apps only allow three courses in maximum. So, it does bring up some trouble when you are a full-time student that doesn’t want to spend money on apps. Also, if you forget to record your grade every time, the motivation to record will decrease after a certain time of the semester. Remember to record and encourage yourself study during your term!
2. Quizlet (Android, iTunes, All type of computers)
Quizlet is an environmental friendly invention that take over the use of flashcards to test yourself. This website has a search bar where you can search for study course materials for other languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, or French. Simply follow the steps down below, you can be sustainable and study everywhere! Personally, I would recommend Quizlet to students when you first start a new language or a subject. It helps you to memorize basic elements of the subject clearer and faster
- Download the app in your phone or open the tab
- Set an account for your use or sign in
- Search on the textbook name you need to study on (easier on computer or larger screen)
- Or create your own flashcards
- Test yourself with the flash cards or matching section.
- Nail it at midterms!
3. Timelogger
In my opinion, this is probably one of the best inventions for education and life in apps history. That might be exaggerated, but this app helps a lot in self improvement. It can record your study, working and leisure time. You can compare how much time each task takes. If you are a well-organized frequent cellphone user, I would recommend to have this in your phone. However, for me, I usually find I forgot to pause the time of recording or forgot to start when I need Timelogger to record.
To sum up, technologies can help students in different areas of learning. However, appropriate rest for your eyes is important for our generation as well. Don’t forgot to keep your physical and mental health while acing your exams.
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Blog Post by Feyannie Hung
