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The 10 Best iPhone Apps for the College Campus

August 25th, 2010 by Anna Miller | No Comments | Filed in Study Tips

By Anna Miller

There’s no doubt that the first prize for the largest number of apps being developed goes to the iPhone – this brilliant gadget from Apple has revolutionized the way we use a mobile phone. And while the BlackBerry may have the highest worldwide sales, when it comes to a college campus, the iPhone rules the roost.

If a student can afford one, you can bet your last dollar that he or she is going to buy this smartphone, if not for its cool looks and utility value, then at least for the many apps that are designed exclusively to make college campuses and life on them more exciting and productive. So here there are, a few of the best iPhone apps for the college campus:

  1. eTextbooks for iPhone: Buying textbooks when you’re in college is not a joke – you seem to be shelling out all your money for the huge tomes that you must have. With your iPhone you have the opportunity to buy eTextbooks – they’re not only easy to carry around on your phone, you can also read them wherever you are and raise your productivity.
  2. SnapTell: Another useful app when it comes to finding cheap and affordable textbooks (or any other book or CD or DVD) – just take a photo of the cover and it provides a list of prices and sellers along with their location.
  3. Jott: This app is a great way to take notes – it allows you to voice record your lectures and then transcribe them to your notepad. These files can be emailed to yourself so you have a whole set of notes ready to study when it’s time for exams.
  4. iStudiez Pro: A college student’s life is haphazard to say the least – what with all that’s going on with them, they find it hard to stay organized. This nifty app allows you to organize your classes, homework, exam schedules, assignment due dates and your social calendar in one place – now you don’t have to carry all this information in your head and kick yourself for forgetting that important date or having to rush to meet that assignment deadline.
  5. Wi-Fi Finder: This free app lets you find Wi-Fi hotspots on campus, thus saving you money on your data plan and allowing you to browse the web for free.
  6. Wikipanion: Wikipedia on the web is brought to your phone in this avatar – it makes a quick reference that much easier when you’re on the go. This app is free; however, if you want one with more features, you can buy it for $4.99.
  7. Instapaper: How often have you run of time when browsing the net? This app allows you to save websites in a format that is easy to read on your phone; it also facilitates offline browsing and bookmarking.
  8. Facebook: Anyone who is on the web today uses Facebook; it’s not just a site where you interact with your friends, it’s also a great way to stay in touch with people who mean a lot to you and live far away. This app brings Facebook to your phone, making it easy to stay on top of updates and happenings.
  9. Dictionary.com: You may be a college student, but that’s no reason not to suck when it comes to spellings. With this app however, you don’t have to worry about finding the right spelling or meaning of a word anymore – it provides access to more than 275,000 definitions and 80,000 synonyms.
  10. Urbanspoon: Tired of campus food and yet too broke to afford food outside? This app helps you find cost-effective food outlets within a half-mile radius of your campus. Go out, eat to your heart’s content, and return knowing that your wallet is not that much lighter.

There are many other apps for the iPhone that are tailored for the college student, so browse the iTunes store to find what you need.

Author Information

Anna Miller writes about online degrees. She welcomes your comments to her email account at anna.miller009@gmail.com.


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Off to College: 5 Cool Online Tools

August 13th, 2010 by Lior Levin | 1 Comment | Filed in Study Tips

By Lior Levin

College life sure is a world of its own, or at least that’s what I have discovered. Like most every other college student, I would use “working towards a college education” as my motivator to keep trudging through those high school years.

Okay, I know what you are thinking: here comes a post from a college geek. I haven’t earned that title (and there is nothing wrong with being a college geek), because my thinking of what the college years were going to be was more freedom from my parents. As in where getting older allows you to do more! However, I wasn’t thinking of all the school work I would be facing; I wasn’t mature enough for that.

When I did arrive at college though it was a wake up call and I soon discovered I needed all the help I could get. It wasn’t long before I scoured the Internet for everything that I could find to make my life easier for the next few years as I got through this. Because I am a nice guy I figured I would pass some of these along in case you are new to the college scene and haven’t discovered yet what can make academic life for the college student easier.

1. Say Goodbye to Google Search & Hello to Surfwax.com

Of course Google is our virtual mentor, but when it comes to academics you need to be able to do your searches for material far beyond that. There are many more search engines out there that are going to get you a lot more of the information that you are going to need that is not passé or mundane.

For example, Surfwax will allow you to dig a lot deeper into the internet for info. This is just one of tons of meta surf engines that will open up a lot more doors for you to gather info.

2. Say Hello to Producteev.com

Remember when I was saying that college meant more freedom from your parents? Well, that’s true but it also means your parents are not there to do task management for you anymore. You sure better discover what Producteev is all about because this is going to be your saving factor for keeping you on track. This free task management tool will be your best friend if you use it properly and put it to good use.

Think about the hoards of emails you get when in college and how easy it is for the important ones to get buried. By having what really counts to you directed through this tool where it will create your “to do” lists and keep you alerted to them, you are easily going to stay on track.

3. Share the Knowledge through Google Docs

Everyone has their own favorite word processor, but using Google Docs when you are working on a group project or want to easily access an ongoing file or spreadsheet means collaborating.

Google Docs saves a lot of hassle of transferring files back and forth when it is a multi user file.

4. Bookfinder.com, a College Students Money Saver

Most college students have to squeeze the pennies, and when it comes to finding the cheapest books, then using this Bookfinder.com sure saves a tremendous amount of time and money.

All you have to do is enter the information about the book and it will display the best prices and sources.

5. Testprepreview.com

You have to get all you can from Testpreview.com when it comes to preparing for tests. It makes for an amazing free self testing exam site that is going to help you with your exam prepping.

Remember, if you really want to enjoy the college scene both academically and socially, then make life as easy as possible for yourself and take advantage of every free online tool that is going to help you do this.

Author Information

Lior Levin works for a nursing wear company as well as  for a task management start-up.


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You Can Improve Your College Class Grades

June 23rd, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 3 Comments | Filed in Study Tips

Getting passing grades at college doesn’t take much effort, but getting outstanding grades usually means you spent a considerable amount of time working on your studies. The difference between a “B” and a “C+” grade may not seem all that much, but it can raise your grade point average, an important number used to determine whether you receive university honors and are considered for that coveted job post graduation.

open bookRaising your grades takes work, but it isn’t rocket science. The following tips when followed can take you up a notch or two:

1. Attend Class. Skipping class means that you’re missing something, information and interaction which can be useful for writing papers, preparing for quizzes or taking tests. Some professors will penalize students who have an unexcused absence, perhaps making a difference when a borderline grade is being considered.

2. Take Notes. You not only should take notes, but you should also review your notes. Is there a right way for you to take notes? Yes…in the way you best understand and recall what the professor said. If note-taking isn’t your specialty and your professor allows recorded devices, tape his lectures instead.

3. Class Load. You may want to rush through college, but if your class load each semester is too much to handle, consider carrying just enough classes to still go full-time. Make up what is needed between sessions or over the summer, allowing you to concentrate on a few classes instead of five or six.

4. Professor Reviews. On-line reviews of professors and courses make it easier for students to know what they can expect if they sign up for a particular class. If a particularly stringent instructor is scheduled for a class you know will be difficult for you, consider finding a different class with a professor who isn’t likely to hammer your GPA.

5. Major Selection. You may have your eye on a particular major but soon discover you aren’t cut out for the work. You love business and had your heart on being an accountant, but your grades don’t support your career training choice. Explore other business majors such as Business Management, Information Technology or Hospitality Management. You may discover your business talents are better used elsewhere, getting the good grades to prove your career choice.

6. Team Building. Even if your classes aren’t set up to for networking and team building, consider studying with your classmates. Compare notes and discuss the course material; you’ll be helping each other to fill in the gaps, raising your level of understanding accordingly.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had it right when he said this about studying, “A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.”

Surround yourself with smart people and your grade point average will begin to climb.

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Is Cheating Really A Big Deal?

March 31st, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in Study Tips

College students cheat, they always have and they always will. At least that is the thinking for some people including students who regularly cheat and professors who routinely look the other way.

college studentBut cheating offers some serious consequences, first being the obvious moral lapse that got it all started. These days, many people no longer have a code, not that being moral always stopped cheaters in their tracks anyway. Yet, if you can justify one small transgression then you’re likely the type of person who can justify larger transgressions, slippery slope thinking not held in check by any biblical or moral code.

Course Hero

In the March 28, 2010 issue of “The Chronicle of Higher Education,” Jeffrey R. Young noted that high tech cheating is rampant thanks to websites like Course Hero whose tag line “Ace Your Courses” invites members to cheat. According to Young, the site features more than 500,000 textbook solutions with some 265,000 fans following the site through Facebook. More than six million study materials have been uploaded to the site as well.

Students may be able to get away with cheating but eventually their ruse is uncovered when they take tests. Acing homework may be easy to do, but if you flunk your exams then that may be all the evidence anyone needs to show that you’re not studying and absorbing what you should be learning. Still, as Young noted many schools do not have honor codes in place or these same codes may fail to deter cheaters.

Online Cheating

Young noted that a Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor has developed a way to determine if his students have cheated. By utilizing an online homework system in his courses, Mr. David E. Pritchard is able to tell who is cheating by how fast that they answer their questions.

Because his tests involves complex questions, students need to spend a certain amount of time answering them by reviewing and comparing possible answers. Pritchard’s system can tell how quickly someone responded which means that those questions that were answered under a minute were more than likely lifted from another source.

Study Groups

The practice of students gathering together in study groups to work through problems and share answers predates the age of technology and is usually considered an acceptable practice at most institutions of higher learning. But, sharing professors’ old exams is not considered acceptable, something that has increased sharply due to online sharing of that information.

In the April 9, 2009 issue of “The Wall Street Journal,” Anne Marie Chaker reported that old exams are finding their way to online sites and are easily accessible by students. Some professors recycle their tests which means that test questions and answers can be found online, giving students the chance to ace their tests without studying.

Chaker went on to note that there are a number of cyber study groups flourishing, each offering study materials, class notes and old tests to members. Besides Course Hero, four other sites are wooing students: Cramster, eNotes, Koofers and SparkNotes. Some sites charge a fee, but not every site is advancing cheating.

For example, SparkNotes has a feature where an editor reads student essays and offers advice for free. That particular dimension likely helps students hone their writing skills while leaving the research, paper development and refining up to them.

Professor’s Tools

Students know that when it comes to papers, professors have a number of tools at their disposal including various plagiarism checkers such as Dustball, Copyscape, Article Checker and Plagiarism Detect.

But what is all comes down to is having students understand that plagiarism is wrong even if “everyone else is doing it.” If all else fails other students and electronic detection technology can thwart most instances of cheating including in engineering if professors are willing to look for patterns suggesting that answers have been acquired through ill-gotten means.

See Also – The New York Times: Colleges Chase as Cheats Shift to Higher Tech

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