With finals around the corner, students are looking for the most efficient ways to study content and finish papers for all of their classes. Several websites and phone applications help students with some of these struggles.
One of the most widely used websites is Quizlet, which also has an accompanying app for cellphones. Featuring a large database of flashcard sets, this site also allows students to import their own information in order to study it in a variety of ways.
“I like Quizlet because usually it will provide me with a step towards what I need an answer to if I am looking for specific information,” Alyssa Alberti, senior education major, said. “I also like that I can make flashcards and study on-the-go instead of carrying studying materials with me.”
While the site is known for its original flashcard feature, some new features have recently been rolled out. The site now allows students to insert charts, graphs and maps into flashcards, and it even translates special characters when making flashcards with foreign language terminology. Quizlet also recently implemented a brand new feature they call Learn.
Learn focuses on the retention of certain terms while rolling in new ones. This allows students to get exposure to terms the app recognizes they are struggling with. “The new learn feature is great. It can be customized and it asks you five questions; after you answer them it adds more plus reviewing the original five. You get to master certain questions because you see them more than once while adding additional terms throughout,” Alberti said.
Quizlet CEO Matthew Glotzbach designed Quizlet with students that like to create study materials in mind, then added the public feature to help those that are looking for content related to certain subjects.
A site that students can use when preparing to write papers over novels is Schmoop. The site is very similar to Sparknotes, but gives more detailed assessments. This is often helpful to students, as they can revisit summaries of books they have read to find sections they want to reference, or find an in depth analysis of chapters to form a better understanding of the symbols within the work. “I like it better than Sparknotes because it's more detailed. Students can also add to the content and they can upload tests and quizzes about certain sections,” Sophia Webster said.
While not an academic site, many students agreed to using Pandora music playlists throughout the majority of finals week to maintain focus. “They have a classical study station and it's a mixture of Beethoven and classical covers of modern pop songs,” Webster said. “Because there's no words, it gives background noise but there's no words to sing along to, so I stay focused on my work.”
Finding resources that can be accessed on-the-go is important for any college student preparing for a packed finals week. These apps and websites are just a few that can be helpful.