Best Remote Working Apps For Students!
It’s September! A very exciting time of year for new university students, bright eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to kick off their academic journey.
Granted, things are a little weird at the moment with COVID-19 still very much present, making time at university a little different to anything we’ve ever known.
That isn’t going to hinder anyone’s experience at university though, with plenty of opportunities to make new pals remotely and get studying done from the comfort of your own cosy student living.
To give you a head start, we’ve gathered a list of some off the best remote working apps for students, from organisation, to communication, task management and note taking! Let’s take a look:
What Are The Best Organisation Apps For Students?
1. Microsoft Office
Coming in at number one we’ve got the Microsoft Office app which keeps Word, Excel and PowerPoint all in one place, creating a quick and easy experience on the go or working at home.
You can create word documents, spreadsheets and presentations as well as share and collaborate whilst transferring files through your phone, cloud storage and computer.
There’s so many unique mobile ways to use this app too, did you know you can snap a picture of a document and turn it into an editable word file too? Pretty cool!
Anyone can download the Office app for free and start using it right away, perfect for remote working at university to get all your studying done.
2. Google Docs
Google Docs is perfect for sharing and collaborating in a document at the same time as your class mates, which makes it awesome for group work!
You don’t need to worry about losing your work either, as everything is auto-saved automatically as you type it, a definite bonus.
The app allows you to open, edit and save work documents and it’ll even work offline, a good little perk if you’re travelling to and from lectures.
The desktop version is easily accessible with a simple Google search, where you can access files you’ve been working on via your mobile device.
Google Docs is a great tool to use when it comes to creating spreadsheets, a fab idea could be a spreadsheet with assignments deadlines and details, so you and all your pals are all on the same page with dates!
3. Google Calendar
This app is an awesome place to put all your to-dos, with reminders to make sure you don’t forget that all important assignment!
You can add personal goals too, such as ‘study 3 times a week’ and your calendar will schedule time automatically for you.
Events from Gmail are automatically added to your calendar too, a great way of collating each week into one handy place.
You don’t ever have to worry about forgetting that coffee date with your mate, because Google Calendar will be sure to remind you!
4. Fantastical
Fantastical is brilliant at organising your events in a list, whether that be a month or week view, all on the same screen.
There’s also a nifty reminder feature within the app just in case you need that extra nudge when an assignment is due!
For just £4.99 a month for the premium version, you can use it across all your other Apple products too, whether that be your iPhone or Mac.
Fantastical lets you quickly upload files or images from the app to your iCloud, Google, or Exchange events.
When scheduling an event with invitees, the app allows you to see their availability to help you find a time that works for everyone, ideal for scheduling study time or group work with your uni pals.
What Are The Best Communication Apps For Students?
It’s important to keep communicating with your uni pals and your lecturers, especially in current times with social distancing and remote learning.
There are so many fantastic apps available to make that happen, all for free too! All you need to do is click download and get chatting.
1. Teams
Teams is a fabulous app which lets you have video calls and chat with your uni mates/lecturers, hurrah!
The app allows both 1:1 or group chats, collaborations, and audio/video meetings with up to 300 participants, ideal for remote lectures too.
If you fancy a gossip with your mates, there’s a chat box too, a handy function when working on projects together.
2. Zoom
Similar to Teams, this app lets you virtually interact with lecturers and uni mates when in-person meetings aren’t possible, it’s also fabulous for social events, like quizzes and karaoke!
Zoom enables you to host one-on-one meetings with a free plan and group video conferences with up to 500 participants.
You can even screen share, which is a great feature when attending remote lectures and study groups!
It really is a must have for remote working, so you can have a natter with your mates and never feel too far away from all the action.
3. Google Meet
Another video app you need to get your hands on is Google Meet, anyone with a Google Account can create an online meeting with up to 100 participants for up to 60 mins!
Businesses, schools and other organisations can take advantage of the advanced features too, with meetings including up to 250 internal or external participants.
There’s also a live streaming function where you can have up to 100,000 viewers, great for lectures.
4. Skype
This free to use app is another great one to keep in regular contact with your friends, family and lecturers!
With HD voice and video calling, you’re able to chat to groups of up to 50 people.
You can access Skype via your mobile phone or your desktop, it really just depends where you are at the time!
It’s a really handy tool when it comes to distance learning, especially if you’re struggling with something and need an extra helping hand.
Whether you fancy a natter with your pals, or you’ve got a virtual lecture, Skype is a super cool resource you need to get on board with!
What Are The Best List Making Apps For Students?
We know that list making may sound a little boring, but unfortunately when you’re studying at uni, it’s pretty necessary!
Whether you’re wanting to plan studying day by day, or prefer a weekly view, these apps will give you a helping hand in getting organised.
1. Todoist
Want to keep track of your tasks so you’re not feeling stressy? Todoist is the app for you!
You can add new tasks with the due dates/times, and you can also add recurring due dates like ‘every first of the month’, a great reminder when it comes to bills.
If you want to add smaller steps like sub-tasks under a main task, just drag and drop a task underneath the main one, simple!
When it comes to organising projects, the app comes with a list of standard projects to get you started, but you can re-name, re-arrange, and colour-code any projects you like.
The handy ‘today’ and ‘upcoming’ view lets you see all your tasks across all of your projects due today, this week, or any week in the future.
2. Google Tasks
To-do lists galore! Google Tasks let you create a list within your desktop Gmail or the app.
When you add a task, you can integrate it into your Gmail calendar as well as adding details and sub-tasks!
Apps like this are great when it comes to planning study time and reminding yourself of any work that’s due in.
You don’t have to just add studying to your to-do lists though, if you integrate non-study time with study time, it’ll give you a good indicator of how much time you have in general!
3. Habitica
Are you ready to take control? This self-improvement app helps you keep track of your goals and keep motivated.
It’s pretty cool really, as the app acts like a game, with rewards and punishments to motivate you with a strong social network to keep you going!
Check off tasks and level up your Avatar to unlock in-game features like battle armour, pets, magic skills and even quests.
What Are The Best Note Taking Apps For Students?
Note taking is vital, especially when listening to a lecture, writing down and retaining useful information will make your life a lot easier when it comes to revision and exams!
We’ve chosen a few of the best note taking apps you need to get your hands on, check them out below.
1. Evernote
This app is one of the best-known apps for planning tasks and events.
It allows you to add video and attach Word documents and PDFs to your to-do lists, which is a super cool feature!
Evernote has a great function that allows you to organise notes by different ‘notebooks’, you can choose to either make it private or share it with collaborators or fellow classmates.
You could create a new notebook for each of your university modules, that way your university notes won’t get jumbled or confusing, genius!
2. Standard Notes
This simple and private notes app syncs your notes securely across all your devices, whether it’s Android, Windows, iOS, Linux, and Web.
The best news is, you don’t need to copy and paste notes anymore from one device to another with this fantastic app, making your life a lot easier!
Its focus is to make writing notes easy wherever you are, great for tasks, journals, meeting notes and to-dos.
All your notes will be locked for protection, and you can even access them offline.
3. OneNote
With the OneNote app, you can plan that big event, track a list of errands, write memos, and even make a digital sketchbook all on your phone!
Sync your notes via OneDrive and access them anytime, anywhere, whether you’re in the comfort of your cosy student accommodation or out grabbing a coffee.
You can sync your sticky notes, find your most recent notes, pin them, and save, share and collaborate too.
Great news for iPad owners, you can use a variety of pen colours and settings to create handwritten notes and drawings.
4. Google Keep
The Google Keep app lets you capture, share, edit and collaborate your notes on any device, anywhere!
You can record voice memos and have it automatically transcribed, which is very handy when you’re in a rush and don’t have time to write stuff down.
Filter your notes by colour and find what you need fast, giving you plenty of valuable study time.
Now more than ever do you need to invest in these fabulous apps available, with many of them even being free of charge!
Communication is so important when joining university, and with the current COVID-19 outbreak filling us with uncertainty, we all need to do our bit.
So grab your bezzies, get them on board and you won’t regret it!
Table of Contents