Best Resources for Studying

By: Talia Walters ‘20

Studying is not the easiest thing to get done, and we’re all looking for shortcuts and tools to help make our lives easier. I may not be able to help you find a way to avoid studying or decrease the amount of studying you need to do, but I do have some resources that should help make the process a little easier. If you’re interested in more study tips, check out this article on the best ways of studying or this article on the best places to study!

Apps

Istudiez Pro/ myHomework

Everyone needs a good planner. Some people really love having push notifications for their assignments or having the ease of carrying around your planner with something you already have all the time – your phone. These apps make planning your school life and study schedule on your phone super easy. Both are intuitive to use and are pretty to look at too! The differences are mainly in how these display assignments to you. Istudiez Pro prefers showing things in a calendar format while myHomework is more of a list format of what things are due first and so on and so forth. Both have a paid version in which you get more capabilities from the app, but it seems like Istudiez Pro has a more extensive free version with more functionality than the free version of myHomework. Ultimately, it’s up to which one you like the best, both aesthetically and in their function.

RefME

RefME stands for Referencing, Made Easy and is an app by the same people who did Evernote (which is another note taking app that I would recommending if you haven’t found a way to take notes that you like yet, though it is a paid service). It’s both an online app as well as a phone app, and if I’m being honest, RefME online feels very similar to something like Easybib. It’s a database full of citations for popular journal articles and books so that you don’t have to think very hard when it comes to making an MLA bibliography at 4am when you’re finishing your paper. However, the phone app can scan the bar code of the book you physically have and create a citation for you without even having to search yourself for the citation. It’s a great shortcut if you’re looking at the physical book at the library, and you don’t want to take it home with you, or even if you’re just too lazy to type in the title (look, I’ve been there). My only caveat is that professors sometimes tell students to not use citation shortcuts on papers, which you should probably listen to if you don’t want points off for your bibliography. At the very least, double check every citation that gets created by online sources to make sure they’re correct before you turn them in.

StudyBlue

StudyBlue is an online compilation of notes, study guides, and flashcards made by other people for your specific class. Yes, your specific class. You’re able to register as a USC student and see all of the resources your fellow Trojans have created for the same classes you’re in since they aren’t just “art history” notes but they’re specifically “AHIS 101” notes. It’s a great way to work smarter and not harder, especially if you’re running out of time before an exam. They have almost every single subject and major that you could imagine, even classes in cinema and film. If you’re feeling really excited, you could get a few of your friends to come together and create online study groups. The best part is that all of these notes fit into your pocket with their free app!

Flipd

I spend a lot of time on my phone. Like, almost an offensive amount of time on my phone. It’s a plague of this generation (all you kids!). I’m all for exciting technological advances or just a good Tik Tok video here or there — I downloaded it as a joke, now I can’t stop — but every once in a while it’s nice to be able to shut everything off and focus on studying. Flipd is an app to help keep you off your phone when you need to and increase your happiness and wellness in the process. You’re able to choose a goal for the day, maybe focus in lecture or get to bed without touching your phone, and track the time you do spend in other places to make sure you’re being productive. I personally love this app because it’s focused more on wellness and functionality than some of those other app that just lock you out of your phone for a few hours. This one doesn’t force you to do anything, but it gives you the tools to be able to make the changes on your own, which is a great way to actually learn new habits.

Online

Monday.com/getplan.co

If you are more glued to your computer screen than your phone screen, it might be better to find a planner that you can access on your laptop instead of your phone. Both Monday and Getplan are great ways to track class times, assignments, and exams, as well as other obligations you may have for work, social functions, or even just when you want to study or take time for yourself. Monday lets you track big projects as well as due dates for each of the small steps to get those projects done. You can change the status of the task to keep everything straight in your mind and even make notes to yourself on who you need to work with to finish the task. You can also connect your work with other people using Monday in order to keep group projects on track. Getplan has a little bit of learning curve when you start using it, but that’s out of the sheer amount of things it can help you with. You can set tasks, see your daily calendar, and have clear goals for the day. Getplan functions closer to a true planner instead of tracking individual projects. It also has a work timeline, but it looks a little different, so you can see which one helps you best see your work.

Wolfram Alpha

If you’re still taking math classes, A) I’m sorry and B) those classes are hard, and sometimes you need a resource to help you. Wolfram Alpha is a form of “computational intelligence” that is best known for it’s ability to solve almost any equation you type into it while also giving you a step by step guide as to how it solved the problem. This website was a lifesaver for me when I was in calculus since there were times when I didn’t even know how to start. Being shown each step is significantly better than most calculators that just give you the answer because now when you go to class for an exam, you’ll know what to do instead of realizing you never really learned how to do the problems in the first place. The website has changed a lot since my math class days, and they now have expansive “knowledgebases” on more things than just math. I would recommend checking out other information they have, even if it’s just on better health practices. Any knowledge is useful knowledge.

Grammarly

Grammarly fixes all of those writing, spelling, and grammar mistakes we tend to make when we type too fast and aren’t paying attention. It’s a Chrome extension that checks spelling when you’re typing online, so it’s particularly helpful when you’re sending emails. It has the ability to check pretty much any box that you’re putting text in, which means it can also help when you’re filling out applications or even just turning things in online for class. They’ve also just added a new feature: a tone detector. If you’re ever unsure about how you’re coming off in an email or a response, the tone detector lets you know how your words may be perceived by someone else. They’ll be able to check if you sound too casual or too blunt. It even checks social media posts, so when you’re in the heat of a frantic Twitter argument, you won’t be making careless mistakes. It’s a great way to stay professional and improve your writing without having to do the work.

Archive.org

When I tell people that I got all of my philosophy books for this semester online legally and for free, they usually think I’m joking. But no, I downloaded all of my books off of Archive. They’re a nonprofit online library with millions of free books, music, movies, software, and more. They have a fairly expansive collection of textbooks and fiction books, and they’re owned by the people who made the Wayback machine, so if you need an old website for research too, then they’ve got it. They have access to libraries all of the world, including the University of Toronto’s library and the National Library of India. In all fairness, most of my philosophy books are older and easier to access online, so I might have just been lucky, but it’s always worth a try because we don’t have the kind of money to be out here spending it on 20+ books we’ll never open again in 5 months.

USC Library Databases

A lot of people tend to sleep on USC’s expansive library database, but honestly, we have access to so many different things by just being students that’s it’s almost mind-blowing. If you go to the library website, go up to the Find tab, and then click databases, you’ll be taken to the list of databases we get to access through affiliation with USC. There are 1808 different databases that all have different purposes and specialties, so if you’re looking for the perfect article to finish off your research paper, it’s probably going to be on one of these hundreds of databases.

In Person

Planner

Are you catching on that you should get a planner? I personally use physical planners, because I have a habit of just swiping away notifications from apps and never getting on an online planner, so I have to write things down to keep them in my head. There are tons of different kinds of physical planners, including cheap ones that are at Target right now set up for the whole year. There are ones that plan by month, by week, by day, and by the hour. There are ones with special focuses in homework or reading or tracking fitness. If you have any want for a planner, there’s one out there for you at any price point. I’m serious – writing everything down makes it easier to keep track of things and makes your head hurt less when you hit midterm season and everything is due at once.

Rocketbook

I just bought a Rocketbook notebook this past winter break because I saw it on almost 12 different Buzzfeed articles and thought it looked cool. Honestly, it’s one of the best school purchases I’ve made. I have specifically the Rocketbook Everlast, which is super thin and durable. You write on the pages, then later you’re able to upload those pages to the note taking app of your choice (I use One Note, but you can sync them Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, and even Slack), and then you’re able to wipe away your notes in the Notebook and start over. I personally love being able to write down notes in a way that makes sense to me without being restricted to a computer, and I love how environmentally conscious it is. Plus, they’ve started experimenting with text-to-type technologies, so they transcribe your notes for you. They’re still in the beginning stages of this feature, but it’s getting better every time I use it. If Everlast doesn’t sound like something you’re interested in, Rocketbook makes a bunch of different products, so I would recommend seeing if anything they’ve made could help you.

USC Kortshack Center

Again, all of us are out here sleeping on USC’s study resources! The Kortshack Center is specifically for helping students reach their full learning potential. They have tons of different resources and tools at your disposal, including calendars (you could make your own planner!), organization tips, reading tips, writing tips, test-taking tips, all of the tips you could want. They have drop in hours every week to meet with someone if you’re feeling stressed out about your studying schedule or by classes, and most importantly, they have an Academic Coach program to keep you on track when you need help. It’s a great center with workshops and in person resources that are really valuable, so if you’re ever feeling down, stop by the center and see what they’re about.

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