The phone as the only computer you have
Plenty of students have a phone and a shared library computer, and nothing in between. That combination is workable for most of a term, provided the phone handles capture, review and submission, and the library computer is saved for the long writing. The mistake is trying to write eight thousand words on a five inch screen because an app said you could.
What the phone is good at, and what it is not
| Task | On a phone | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Capturing a lecture | Recording, photographing the board, quick notes | Better than a laptop, because it is already out |
| Reading set texts | PDF and ebook readers, offline | Fine for reading, poor for annotating heavily |
| Flashcards and revision | Purpose built, syncs, works in queues | The phone wins outright |
| Drafting an essay | Possible, unpleasant | Use it for the outline, not the prose |
| Formatting and submitting | Works, fiddly with references | Do the final pass on a real screen |
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The apps that carry a term
Spaced repetition, open source, free, and the same engine serious medical students use. Steeper to learn than the pretty alternatives and worth every minute.
The friendlier flashcard app, with the advantage that someone on your course has probably already made the deck.
A third option, minimal and offline, for anyone who wants spaced repetition without an account.
Free explanations for the maths and science modules that assume you remember something you never covered.
Photograph an equation and see the working, not just the answer. Used properly it is a tutor; used lazily it is a way to fail an exam.
For a language requirement. Consistent daily use beats intensive weekends, which is the one thing it genuinely gets right.
If your institution uses it, this is where the deadlines actually live. Turn its notifications on and everything else off.
Free, syncs, works offline once a file is opened, and the version history has saved more work than any backup.
The better option for handwritten notes and photographs of whiteboards, because it stores them in a structure you can find again.
For the note you need in ten seconds, not the note you will file properly. Different job, keep both.
For the student who wants notes that link to each other and live in plain files they own. A commitment, but the files outlast the app.
The light version of that idea. Plain markdown files in a folder, no account, no sync service required.
Deadlines with natural language entry, which matters because a task you have to fill a form for is a task you will not add.
The alternative, with a built in timer for people who work in fixed blocks.
Free, tied to a university Microsoft account, and already provisioned at most institutions.
The stripped back option that just appears in your calendar.
Turns photographs of handouts into readable PDFs with straightened edges. Check its free tier limits before term starts.
The alternative scanner, with less pressure to subscribe.
Reference management that will save you a weekend at the end of term. Start using it in week one or not at all.
Download the offline articles for your subject before a long journey. Not a citable source, an excellent orientation one.
Keeping it all off the internet when you need it
- Download next week reading on WiFi Campus WiFi is free. Mobile data at the end of the month is not.
- Keep one folder that syncs and one that does not Coursework syncs. Recordings and scans do not, or you will fill the free tier in a fortnight.
- Export your flashcard decks once a term Accounts get locked, apps change their pricing, and a deck is a term of work.
- Check the file actually opened before the deadline A document that syncs is not a document that submitted. Open the uploaded copy once.
Where the money goes if you are not careful
Four study apps at a few pounds a month each is a phone contract. The free tiers here are genuinely usable, and the paid upgrade worth buying is usually storage rather than features.
Check whether your institution already pays for one of them. A great many students pay for a Microsoft or Google plan their student email already includes.
Capture on the phone, revise on the phone, write somewhere else. Pick one note app and one task app and stop shopping.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really write an essay on a phone?
You can outline, draft in fragments and edit. Writing long prose on a phone is slower in a way that shows in the result. Use the phone to capture and the library machine to write.
Is a Bluetooth keyboard worth it?
More than any app on this list. A cheap folding keyboard turns the phone into something you can work on for an hour without resenting it.
Which flashcard app should I actually pick?
If you will use it daily for two years, learn the harder one. If you need decks tonight for an exam on Friday, take the friendly one with shared decks.
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