These days, we have an app for everything. Sharing photos, messaging each other – even remembering when to water our house plants! Education and university are no different, and as we all adapt to the new normal, and many of the world’s best universities have decided to adopt online or blended learning approaches, apps can be incredibly useful. Here are some recommendations for useful apps to help with your studies:
For staying up-to-date
University lifestyle can be busy when you’re shifting your focus between lectures, assignments, sports and other societal commitments. So, sometimes it can be easy to lose track of your university schedule. Thankfully, Northumbria University have their own app for students called NU Connect. With this app you can keep track of your timetables for both lectures and exams, as well as receive key notices from teachers and your Student’s Union.
Cost: Free
Available on: iOS and Android
Best features: Not only do you get real time updates, but you can use the ‘Finder’ feature to seek available PCs and software to use on-campus, to help you with your studies.
For checking your grammar
Essays are a big part of most university courses and are often how students are assessed. When submitting an essay, it is so important to make sure that your spelling, grammar and language is correct. This can be a little challenging, especially if you aren’t writing in your first language. Luckily, there is a free app called Grammarly that you can add to your internet browser to help.
Cost: Free
Available on: Google Chrome as an extension
Best features: It not only checks for grammatical and spelling errors in your writing but also checks the style and tone, coaching you to become a better writer.
For a quick translation
When writing in another language, you may sometimes come across a word you don’t know or need a little help translating. There are a few apps out there that can help such as the Google Translate app.
Cost: Free
Available on: iOS and Android
Best features: This handy app has 103 languages to choose from and can detect which you are using as you type, can be used offline and can even translate imported photos and handwriting that you put directly into the app.
Top tip: remember to double check these translations with an English-speaking friend to make sure you are saying what you want to – sometimes the meaning can be lost when you use apps to translate longer phrases.
For note-taking
Taking notes during classes or lectures is a great way to process the information that you’re hearing as well as being useful later on when you want to remember what was said. When it comes to writing an essay, having detailed notes can make all the difference. One recommendation to help with note-taking is the app Evernote.
Cost: Free
Available on: iOS and Android
Best features: It lets you sync your notes across all devices and lets you transfer handwritten notes if you prefer to work that way. You can then search them for words or phrases making finding exactly what you need much easier.
For references and bibliographies
If you are new at writing university-level essays, you may need some help with the referencing and the bibliography. This is important because it shows that you have used sources to strengthen your essay but that you are crediting them properly. EasyBib is very useful for making sure you get the formatting right so your tutor can see exactly what you’ve referenced and where.
Cost: Free
Available on: iOS and Android
Best features: Search the app for the book, journal or website you’ve referenced, and it will generate the bibliography entry for you. It has over 7,000 citation styles built-in, which means no matter what format your university uses, you will be able to find it. They also have a feature that scans your work for plagiarism, so you don’t accidentally submit an essay that contains someone else’s work.
For workload management
Organisation is a huge part of a successful university career. Using lists of tasks and goals gives you a clear focus and lets you plan your day and be as productive as possible. Every time you tick something off your list, you’ll feel proud of yourself and be able to move onto the next task. Any.do is great for helping you keep track.
Cost: Free
Available on: iOS and Android
Best features: It’s easy to use, has a nice design and lets you sync everything across any compatible device. You can set reminders to make sure you don’t miss anything and share lists and assign tasks for group projects.
Whilst this is not a list of every useful app you can use to support your studies, we hope you find our recommendations useful.
To speak with one of our team about studying with us, please complete an enquiry form.
The pathway programmes detailed on this website are run in partnership with QA Higher Education - a UK higher education provider. All of our pathway programmes are validated by the University and taught by QA Higher Education and University staff.
