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Best apps for a college student?

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physalis123

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 26, 2011
3
0
I am becoming a college student and recently purchased an Ipad. Would you guys like to recommend some important apps for an organized student?

I am hoping to use it to organize any appointments, parties, meetings, and other dates.
Also manage when I do things.
I would like the best apps for my money and I need your help. I get quite lazy on staying on track or forget so this should help alot (alarming apps?).

I am also going to use my Ipad for alot of note taking for class to replace my laptop. I am considering using apps like pages. Is this the best app for this? I like to build graphs and document in different fonts, color, and in organized formats.

Please recommend and review the apps while I look them up in itunes.
 
Note Taker HD would be a better choice over Pages for note taking IMO.

As far as organization, it depends on the level in which you like to go. Good GTD apps are often quite expensive but do come with a lot of nice features like push reminders, tagging, etc. Otherwise, save yourself some money and use the built in Calendar.

You also can't go wrong with GoodReader + Dropbox for all your file management needs.

Hope that helps, good luck!
 
Thanks for the reply.

So what I have right now is notekata, flash cards, calendar, penultimate, dictionary, translator (can you guys recommend another?),everclock and wunderlist.

Which are all great apps.

what exactly is dropbox?
 
Hi physalis123! :)

Dropbox is an online backup application that lets you share, store, organize and sync files with other users. You can put just about anything on Dropbox and won't have to worry about losing the documents because the system is entirely secure. There's also no need for you to use USBs and other devices when transfering files since you can simply access them from your online account or the application installed in your computer. Documents can be accessed on computers, laptops or smartphones, regardless of the operating system used.

When you sign up with Dropbox, you get a free 2GB account which should be enough to store all your college files. You can also get additional space by inviting your friends to use the application. It will really be handy for all your school work. You can visit their website here for more info: www.dropbox.com

If you're looking for an app to help with your To-Do lists, you should definitely check out Things. I've been using it for a while now and it works very smoothly! Keeps me productive all the time. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/things-for-ipad/id364365411?mt=8

I also second SteveAbootman's GoodReader suggestion. Best iPad PDF reader so far! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/goodreader-for-ipad/id363448914?mt=8

Hope that helps! :)
 
I'm a first year student at a huge university, I'll just give you a list of the apps I use the most with my iPad. (Not all of these will be academic)

Easy Note (either free or .99): A very simple to do list/check list kind of thing that keeps me on task every day. Really simple to use with push notifications and all that fun stuff.
Friendly: A very cool and simple Facebook app
Google App: Don't have to go through all the Safari hubalub, just jump to Google
iBooks and Kindle: Reading for fun
Dictionary: Simple quick lookup
WebMD: You're a college student, no mommy to tell you what to have, its a pretty cool app too!
Text+ and Words With Friends: chances are you're going to make a lot of new friends, and most will have iPhones and Droids. With text+ you can have group texting convos (wherever you have wifi unless you have the 3g). It hooks you up with an iPad phone number, and its been a lot of fun for me and my friends.
Words with Friends is similar in that you and your friends get to play scrabble against eachother. Some of my friends have become obsessed!


I really don't find taking notes simple or efficient at all in class on the iPad. I either bring my MBP or print them out and bring them to class (if your school utilizes an online database like Penn State does)

I realize a lot of those apps have little to do with actual work, but I'm just a bored college kid who likes to play with his iPad. If you need anymore advice for some fun or interesting time-passing apps, let me know!
 
No one has mentioned iStudiez Pro yet. I would literally be failing out of this semester without it. Teachers, class schedules, exams, assignments, calculates GPA, everything except doing my homework for me. Best $3 I think I've ever spent, seriously. I think there's a Lite version to try, but seriously, even if you think you don't want to spend money on an app, this one is worth every penny.

ETA:

I have used a stylus + Notes Plus HD for taking notes by hand, which is best for graphs and whatnot, but be sure to make sure your profs are okay with tech. I know that where I go to school, even when you can bring an ipad/laptop, no one does. (Caveat: I study English and liberal arts. If you're studying a science, it is probably different.) You know yourself best, and you're the only one who can judge whether it's too distracting for you or not. :)
 
Last edited:
Very true. I've been told in my smaller classes to put the iPad away. I suggest warning your Professors too, as some professors think they are simply for fun/internet.
 
Dropbox - so you can share documents on all your computers
Good Reader - so you can read the documents from Dropbox
PhatPad - lets you write with your finger (or a stylus) and converts it to text
and games...when you are just bored and need a break
 
I used Goodreader combo with dropbox, you're making full use of your ipad without these two apps. Notetaker HD is also good together with noteshelf. Todo app is also great if you're into GTD. Mental case is very useful if you like learning using flash cards.
 
webcrush said:
iAnnotate is a must have. Lets you mark up and edit PDF files.
Click to expand...

I agree with this...The really nice thing with this app is that it will email you a summary of any highlights and/or notes in the body of the email, including page numbers. In addition, the pdf file with annotations is attached to the email.

It makes research so much easier to complete.
 
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