In today’s smartphone, tablet world, apps rule. Teens (and their parents) are looking for the best apps to help them organize, study, and find accurate information about colleges. After doing research over multiple websites, I’ve compiled a list of 25 apps for the college-bound student (and their parents!).
In no particular order, they are as follows:
1. Essay Starter-$.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/essay-starter/id593023126?mt=
(iPad)
Be inspired! Writing is easy when you have easy access and control of your sources. Automatic footnotes let you stop worrying about references and just write. Split screen mode lets you open and read multiple PDF files, and take notes at the same time.
2. Quad2Quad-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quad2quad-college-visit-planner/id520573900?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
Quad2Quad’s mobile app takes the hassle out of college visit planning. Quad2Quad is a virtual travel assistant, mining, curating and assembling the most important college data for the user. Quad2Quad enables families to plan college visits without spending hours combing multiple college web sites.
3. Edupath SAT Prep & College Search-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/edupath-sat-prep-college-search/id569529148?ls=1&mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
Edupath SAT Prep and College Search is like two apps in one. The free College Explorer lets you browse 1300 colleges to find the right fit. The adaptive SAT Training is optimized for short sessions so you can use it anytime, anywhere, for just $40/month.
4. College Visits-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/college-visits/id436274357?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
With the Welcome to College CollegeVisits iPhone App, you’ll get the ability to rate, take notes, and upload photos in real time or on the trip home. All of the information and photos sync with your account on WelcometoCollege.com.
5. Find Colleges-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-colleges/id347654402?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
The Find Colleges search application makes it easy to search for information about U.S. colleges and universities. Developed by ThinkEducationUSA.com, this innovative app enables browsing by video, majors, size and tuition, or by state. This unique multimedia app features video profiles for some schools. It also provides web links as well as the ability to request more information directly from a school.
6. School Grade Tracker-$.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/school-grade-tracker/id545880650?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
Does your teen need a certain grade point average to get into their dream school, or to receive a college scholarship? School Grade Tracker is a powerful tool for tracking, predicting, and organizing their school life. Students can easily keep track of terms, classes, mark categories, and individual marks. Highly customizable to suit all types of classes and marks. Includes a built-in calendar to keep track of upcoming marks, along with a GPA calculator and class grade prediction calculator.
7. The Homework App-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-homework-app/id561371952?mt=8
(iPod, iPad)
This course management app can replace the need for a day planner, allowing your teen to take note of all of their upcoming assignments, quizzes, and tests, with the simple click of a button. Bonus: the app can even store the teachers’ contact details–so you can easily jot off emails to your favorites when it comes time to request letters of recommendation.
8. SAT Vocab Challenge Vol. 1 and 2-$4.99 each
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sat-vocab-challenge-vol.-1/id315264996?mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sat-vocab-challenge-vol.-2/id330209840?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
Created by none other than the test prep maestros at the Princeton Review, these comprehensive apps let your teen turn any spare minute into an opportunity for vocabulary cramming. The Vocab Challenge offers a variety of timed multiple-choice vocab challenges, featuring 250 of the words most frequently used in the SAT. It’s an ineffable way to expedite your edification. (Didn’t quite get that? You need this app.)
9. Essential Essays Pro-$19.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/essential-essays-pro-10-apps/id318685794?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
Is your teen struggling when it comes to summing up your life story in 500 words or less? For most students, the personal statement is the most difficult part of the college application process. This group of four related apps makes it easier, providing a virtual writing tutor inside your iPhone. The tools can help your teen to define the writing assignment, and help them come up with an outline for the essay. Then, if you’d rather not type up your entire essay on your phone, you can email your notes to your home computer. It won’t actually write your essay for you, but it’s a close second.
10. College Search Guide-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/college-search-guide-handbook/id364820872?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
(Android)
This application is for anyone across the world looking to enroll in a college or university in the United States. Foreign students, high school students, current college students looking to transfer, parents, the working professional looking to go to grad school will find this application very useful. All information are 100% authentic from the US Department of Education.
11. The College Checklist-$.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-college-checklist/id434331732?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
(Android)
A fantastic compilation of 178 articles of clothing, bedding, toiletries, desk supplies, and more that young women need to pack for college. Pack what’s on the list and you’ll be all set. With this app it is very easy to track the stuff you need to pack.
12. Campus Guide-College & University-$1.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/campus-guide-college-university/id524079518?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
Powered by results from Foursquare, Campus Guide is the ideal student app to take with you to College or University. Find your way around College campuses, check-in with Foursquare and update your friends, family and other students via Twitter and Facebook. Visiting friends at a different College or University? With Campus guide there is no need to get lost or arrive late. Search for campus buildings, find address details and plan your route using the in-built map.
13. College Confidential-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/college-confidential/id416874838?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
Read and interact with other users on topics like Financial Aid, College Life, Test Preparation, and more. Check messages, search topics and exchange private messages with other members. With access to millions of posts from students, parents, and experts in 700+ forums, you’ll find answers to all of your college-bound questions.
14. Math Formulas-Reference Guide-$.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/math-formulas-reference-guide/id423545644?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
(iPhone, iPad)
Over 100 math formulas at high school level. The covered areas include algebra, geometry, calculus, trigonometry, probability and statistics. Most of the formulas come with examples for better understanding. Use the powerful search function to find what you are looking for and mark your favorites for easier access. A convenient tool for students and teachers and a handy reference for anyone interested in math!
15. ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/showme-interactive-whiteboard/id445066279?mt=8
(iPad)
Turn your iPad into your personal interactive whiteboard! ShowMe allows you to record voice-over whiteboard tutorials and share them online. It’s an amazingly simple app that anyone can use, no matter how young or old!
16. Asset Campus Housing-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/asset-campus-housing/id413622155?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
The Asset Campus Housing iPhone app displays information about student housing properties around the United States and it allows you to: look at floor plans, view image galleries, view the property on a map, apply on your phone, send in maintenance requests and pay your rent.
17. Note Taker-$1.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/note-taker/id342284707?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
With this full version, you can email multiple pages as a PDF. You can also create “Typed” pages with the keyboard and organize them with the ink pages. On ink pages you can bring up a keyboard later to transcribe what you wrote into contact information that can be added to the Address Book with the tap of a button or pasted into other apps. This full version does not have a limit on the number of pages and does not have a watermark on the JPEGs.
18. College-Bound-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/college-bound/id522249774?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
(Android)
College-Bound eliminates the college stress by providing both students and parents with useful, every day, and up-to-the-minute, information on and about the entire college process. Professionals in all areas of the college planning and preparation process provide expert information on the following topics: Athletes and Recruiting, College Admissions, College Essays, College Travel, Financial Aid, Internships, NCAA Eligibility, SAT & ACT Preparation, SAT Essays, SAT Vocabulary and Scholarships.
19. Fiske Interactive College Guide-$19.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fiske-interactive-college/id418350915?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
FISKE GUIDE TO COLLEGES has been the most trusted source of information for parents, counselors, and college-bound students. Now, the Fiske Interactive College Guide brings you every aspect of the book—plus much more—in an app! You’ll find the Fiske Interactive College Guide useful throughout the hectic, often stressful college search and selection process.
20. Evernote-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
(Android)
Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders–and makes these notes completely searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go.
21. Dropbox-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dropbox.android
(Android)
Dropbox lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Access any file you save to your Dropbox from all your computers, smartphones, tablets and even the Dropbox website! Use Dropbox to save and share photos and videos in a snap or even take your work on the go. If something happens to your iPhone or iPad, your stuff is always safe in Dropbox!
22. SAT Question of the Day-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/official-sat-question-day/id361264754?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
(Android)
Tease your brain with real SAT questions and SAT preparation materials from the test maker. With the question of the day application you can answer a real SAT question each day.
23. Tutor.com To Go-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tutor.com-to-go/id382913089?mt=8
(iPhone, iPad)
The only education app that connects you to an expert tutor for real-time help. Here’s what a few students had to say about their experience with Tutor.com To Go.
With Tutor.com To Go, you can: connect to a live tutor for one-to-one help in math, science, social studies, and English; save and review past one-to-one tutoring sessions; store essays, assignments, or photos of homework problems in your Tutor.com Locker; share items in your Locker with a tutor and access thousands of educational resources from the SkillsCenter™ Resource Library
24. StudyBlue-FREE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/studyblue/id323887414?mt=8
(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
(Android)
This app is made for serious studiers; flip online flashcards for fast feedback on what you know, then re-study concepts you’ve not yet mastered using Study Filters. Review class notes or make flashcards whenever you have a minute to spare. Study over breakfast or late at night – at the library or in a coffee shop. Do what works for you, whenever and wherever you are.
25. Khan Academy
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/khan-academy/id469863705?mt=8
(iPhone, iPad)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.concentricsky.android.khan&hl=en
(Android)
Khan Academy allows you to learn almost anything for free. This app is the best way to view Khan Academy’s complete library of over 4,200 videos. It covers a massive number of topics, including K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even the humanities with playlists on finance and history.
Such a great post! So many resources to explore!
Thanks Sarah. I could probably do another one as well. There are so many apps available I couldn’t cover all of them in this post.
Suzanne,
You make me weep at the exhaustive research you do for MY students! This is a great resource article that ought to be enshrined somewhere for all to honor and obey!
Keep it up so I can get lazy! :^)
Lazy is not who you are. You have so many “irons in the fire” it exhausts me. Happy to help, though.