Attention, college students: If staying organized is one of your New Year’s resolutions, your smartphone opens up a world of possibilities. Last year, we offered a list of excellent time management, study tool, and to-do list apps, all of which still make the grade if you need help staying on top of your academic life. If you’re looking to step up your efficiency game in 2017—both in and out of the classroom—here are five other apps to also consider:
Mint
Managing your finances is one of the most important lessons you must learn as a college student. Mint connects to your bank, credit card, and other accounts so you can get a real-time picture of your finances—all in one place. You can create different types of budgets and track and compare your spending each month, get reminders for bills and pay them on the go, and much more. Mint also will grow with you as you start investing in a 401(k) or IRA by enabling you to track your portfolio and get investment advice.
Trello
There are many productivity apps out there, but Trello excels at keeping students focused on maximizing their productivity. It’s very visual, inviting you to create “boards” for each college class and project. Add lists within each board to keep you organized. The calendar feature makes it easy to see the big picture as well—you can keep track of your weekly tasks, exam dates, project due dates, and other to-dos. For group projects, invite your teammates to join a project board so you can divvy up tasks and keep everyone moving along.
LastPass
In the digital age, there are passwords for just about everything—from your financial aid application to your social media accounts. Many people use the same password for all of the protected sites they use or keep them all scrawled on a piece of paper, but this isn’t secure. LastPass stores all of your passwords and generates one master password for you to remember, making it simple to log in to any application or website from any device.
Documents
There’s a lot to keep track of in college, and many professors use different methods of sharing and sending documents. Documents is a “robust file manager” that lets you organize your files from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, your computer, iCloud, and other cloud services in one easy-to-use file manager. You can open and view any type of document, make notes, create text files, and quickly find the document again with the search tool.
Quizlet
If you like using flashcards, you’ll love Quizlet, which helps you create your own flashcards on thousands of subjects or choose from those created by other students and teachers. You can memorize vocabulary, increase your speed, and share study materials with classmates. With six study modes, you’ll improve your studying, no matter what your learning style.
Start with the free versions
The best news is that all of these apps have a free version, so you have nothing to lose by giving one or two a try. The key is to find what works for you. If you’re looking for something in particular to help you stay efficient and organized, search the Google Play or Apple iTunes stores.
