When I was in middle school, I had an average of seven courses at a time. Those courses had at least two textbooks and accompanying individual notebooks. So, I’ve endured back and shoulder pain for as long as I can remember. Sadly, that extended to be a permanent part of my life, even after countless physical therapy sessions and appointments with chiropractors. Before university, I did not have the option to go digital. But when I finally started my post-secondary studies and was given the alternative, I knew I had to make mindful decisions to save my physical health.
It has been three years since my decision to go digital and, truth be told, I have not looked back. I do not think I can return to the pain of shouldering unnecessarily heavy books. Of course, as with anything, there are pros and cons. The pros are that it is more organized and productive than its counterpart. The cons are concerned with finances but chances are, if you are a university student, you own a laptop.
Towards the end of 2019, I decided to buy an iPad with an Apple Pen and a Magic keyboard. I did a test run to determine whether or not having an iPad was helpful by using my mother’s iPad. As it turns out, it was! While it may be true that I harbour the entire Apple ecosystem, I like that whatever I have written is automatically available on my phone and laptop. Though you do not specifically need an iPad for the forthcoming suggestions, I am about to share some applications that made my digital school life much easier. These are not only reliant on IOS and macOS devices.
Notion labels itself as a free productivity software. You can choose to download it on your computer or use the webpage version. One can make different pages for different courses, customize colours, take notes, make complex tables and calendars and even add widgets from third-party websites. The beauty of this application is that it gives you options of templates to use that are not only for students but everyone alike. But, since the community is so diverse, you can purchase varying templates online from individuals who have worked tirelessly to perfect their Notion.
Personally, I use Notion as a planner rather than note-taking software. I am able to create a calendar that links my Google and Apple calendars. This includes my weekly planner. There was a time when I used physical planners to help me, but because I could not carry that planner everywhere, I found myself typing into my notes that I needed to add an assignment to my physical planner. With Notion’s accessibility on every device, I can simply add it and it automatically syncs. The best part is it also reminds me when the assignment is due, unlike my physical planner.
GoodNotes is my holy grail for notes. As my learning method is writing concepts multiple times, I have unlimited access to unlimited pages and notebooks. The best part is that all of these notes are in one place. Most of the time, I would go to the library after classes and I would require different course notebooks to study, but with GoodNotes having everything in one app, I do not have to worry about carrying additional notebooks. GoodNotes has many templates from planners to Cornell-style pages. It even has an option for flashcards!
As a journalist, I found GoodNotes to be the most useful. But other applications serve the same purpose; Notability, Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, Apple Notes and even Notion can work too! There was a time when GoodNotes was a paid application but gave unlimited access. But, as the application is now free, there is only limited access. That can be changed with a minimal one-time price of $16.18.
TIP: If you are a student who wants all the notes for one course on the same page, which tends to be the case for most mathematical-based courses, Concepts is a great free app that gives you unlimited zoom-out.
MindNode is a free application that helps with visual learning. This application is for you if you find yourself learning most effectively using mind maps. It is straightforward to use, and there is no limit to how many ‘branches’ you can access and make. The “page” is unlimited, which allows you to fit entire chapters into it.
Sure, the devices may be part of the Apple ecosystem. But within them, there can be a Google ecosystem. Most of the time, students use Google Calendar and Google Docs. These serve as great tools for writing and planning. Your Google ecosystem can easily be accessed from everywhere, and your notes are automatically saved to your Google Drive. But students often forget that there are Google Sheets for graphs, Google Keep for quick note-taking or reminders, and Google Jamboard for visual learners.
In terms of textbooks, most courses, if not all, provide cheaper or sometimes even free versions in the form of e-books. When I’ve come across classes that haven’t, some applications that I have used are Apple Books, Bookshelf and Emond Reader. By using e-books, you won’t have a book that will eventually end up in the trash, occupying space after the semester is over. Some e-book websites even allow you to purchase a cheaper option for a limited time. And, of course, they also saved me from more back pain.
My decision to go digital has been the best decision of my life. I do not have to worry about spending money on stationaries for every new semester and lugging everything around on my back. I simply have a comprehensive gadget with applications that can be accessed through different devices with ease. When writing research papers and essays, I am able to search through documents by writing out keywords in my notes. If you can afford it, going digital is the best plan for your university life.