5 Helpful Chrome Extensions and Apps for the College Student

By Sarah Rybak on June 25, 2013

               The internet is a wonderful place – it’s full of knowledge, entertainment, and thousands of videos of adorable baby animals. But sometimes it can be more of a hindrance than a helper when it comes to schoolwork. In order to keep yourself in line or to aid in your studies, check out these five popular extensions for Google Chrome.

1. StayFocusd

StayFocusd is an extension used to increase productivity by limiting use of certain websites. All you have to do is input the amount of time to allow yourself on each time-wasting website (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit), then StayFocusd will cut you off after the allotted time is up. It is even possible to block certain types of content like videos, photos, or games. For the worst of the procrastinators, there is a nuclear option that allows you to block all sites for a certain amount of time, but beware – there is no way to cancel the restriction once it is activated. However scary it may sound, StayFocusd is a great tool for those who find themselves wasting far too much time on the internet when they should be working.

2. Graphing Calculator

If you’re like me, and you don’t want to spend $100 on a graphing calculator just to do your homework, then this is one of the best applications out there. With a 4 ½ star rating and raving reviews from algebra and calculus students all over the world, this application allows for work with functions, logarithms, sums, and more. If the controls and settings confuse you, there is a user manual as well as numerous how-to videos to get you started. Happy graphing!

3. LucidChart

LucidChart is an awesome application that allows for a quick and easy way to create flowcharts, mind maps, diagrams, and more. Creating concept maps for your courses is one of the simplest and most effective ways of learning as it allows for a broader understanding of the material. This makes the app perfect as an aid in studying as well as creating diagrams for presentations. LucidChart also works with Google Drive, thus allowing collaboration with ease, making working on group projects or presentations in real time a whole lot simpler.

4. Task Timer

This helpful little tool allows you to keep track of the time you spend on any number of tasks. Task Timer includes progress bars and allows goals to be set for each task. Desktop and sound notifications are customizable, and time spent on various tasks is compiled into convenient pie charts. With this tool, it is easier to work consistently in a routine – if you want to study for an hour every day, you can hold yourself to that goal with Task Timer. It could also be used in combination with StayFocusd to track time spent on websites versus time spent on work or school-related tasks to keep you on schedule.

5. Read Later Fast

Tired of having to save webpages to your bookmarks just to remember to read them later? If so, Read Later Fast can help you clean up your bookmarks by saving a separate archive of pages to read. The app can also help cut down on the number of tabs you have opened at a time. So, instead of leaving your class readings open and taking up space while you take a break from studying, you can just stick them in your Read Later archive. The app not only displays the webpages as a slideshow, but also shows them as clean-text and can be run offline as well.

All apps can be found in the Chrome Web Store, and if none of the above five sound useful to you, there are hundreds more to choose from!

 

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