Key Takeaways
- Notability is a versatile note-taking app for iPad that offers features like handwriting recognition and synced recordings, making it essential for college classes.
- Goodnotes 6 is a great digital notebook and PDF viewer that excels in file organization and customization, making it the best choice for text editing and studying.
- Google Calendar is a useful app for time management and assignment tracking, allowing you to enter class times and tasks, color code them, and sync them across devices.
With school starting up again for high school and college students, it's time to start thinking about what back-to-school tech can aid your studies. The iPad is one of the best tablets for students thanks to its great user interface and the fantastic Apple Pencil, among other features. However, just going out and buying an iPad doesn't automatically make you a better student. There are key apps and services that can take your studies to the next level, if you know where to find them.
So, what can you do with an iPad in high school or college? These days, iPads are capable enough to be laptop replacements for some students, thanks to the maturity of iPadOS as an operating system. With an iPad, you can complete assignments, take notes, and even enjoy some downtime with games and videos. Even though the desktop-class browser on models like the iPad Air can hold its own against desktop clients, iPads work best with apps. As a recent graduate, I've compiled eight iPad apps that I couldn't have gotten through college without, and they might just help you too.
1 Notability
A must-have notes app for high school and college
You'll need a note-taking app for your iPad in school, and the best one we've found for the iPad is Notability. It's a versatile app that makes use of the Apple Pencil, with features like palm rejection and handwriting recognition available. If you're someone who likes to draw in their notebooks, you'll be happy to know that Notability can help you with that as well, automatically snapping shapes or lines into place perfectly. You have the option to create new documents using a community-designed template, edit existing documents, or scan PDFs with your iPad's camera. Yes, that means you can draw right over your physical textbook.
But there's one Notability feature that is essential to any college class: synced recordings. This lets you record a class or lecture right from the Notability app, and the audio is synced to your handwritten or typed notes. When it's time to review, tapping a word or drawing will play the audio that was recorded at the exact moment you made your notes. This is a killer feature that comes in handy when you're doing homework or studying for a test, and you can't decipher your notes. Part of the Notability app is free, but some features are behind a $3 per month or $15 per year paywall. It's definitely a worthy investment to help you ace your classes.
2 Goodnotes 6
A versatile digital notebook and PDF viewer
The question of which one is better depends on personal preference, but there's no doubt that either Notability or Goodnotes 6 is the best note-taking app on iPadOS. The latter excels as a file organizer and a PDF viewer, so if you care about that functionality, you should choose Goodnotes 6. While Notability does have a file and folder system, it is relegated to the app's sidebar and isn't very user-friendly. However, Goodnotes lets you fully customize folders and files, and you can organize them however you want. This is great for high school and college, where you'll want to sort files based on the class or school year they're needed for.
I think Notability is the better app for handwriting and drawing, but Goodnotes 6 is way better as a text editor. The user-interface looks like something out of the Microsoft 365 suite, and that's a compliment. You can have drawings and text in the same document, but the controls in the toolbar conveniently switch to match the type of input you're creating. Plus, when it's time to study, Goodnotes 6 has an artificial intelligence study tool that will create practice questions based on your notes. There are some other AI-based tools available too, like spellcheck for your handwritten notes. It's a free app to download, but you'll want to get the $10 per year subscription to unlock all the best features.
3 Google Calendar
Great for time management and assignment tracking
After trying a handful of planning apps, the best one to use is Google Calendar. While you might see how Google Calendar would be great for life planning, you'd be right to point out that it isn't tailored for school use. However, there are a few features that work great for planning your schedule. You can enter your class times as recurring events for the school year and semester and set reminders beforehand, so you'll never be late. Plus, you can enter the classroom number or building as the location of the event, which can save you from heading to the wrong room.
When it comes to tracking assignments, you can add upcoming projects and tests as tasks in your calendar. Then, you can color code each task to match the color of the class you're taking. After a bit of setup time at the beginning of the semester, you can easily see everything you've got coming up in either day, week, or month views. Marking tasks as completed strikes a line through them, so you get that feeling of accomplishment when you finish something. Since Google Calendar is connected to your Google account, your calendar will sync with any device that you are signed in to.
Google Calendar on the App Store
4 Kindle
A great way to save big on college textbooks
Outside of tuition, textbooks are one of the biggest education expenses you'll likely incur. You'll probably need at least one per class, and they can cost hundreds of dollars to buy from the bookstore. Instead, look to the Kindle Store on Amazon. In a lot of cases, you can rent or buy the e-book version of a textbook for a fraction of the cost it would be to get your hands on a hard copy. The Kindle App itself is free, so you can access textbooks you've snagged at a discount straight from your iPad. Plus, by going this route, you can make your backpack much lighter since you won't be carrying heavy textbooks.
If you're an avid reader, you can also access your full Kindle library straight from your iPad with this app. There are over 1,000 books included with Amazon Prime, and even more are available with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. If you like audiobooks, there's built-in Audible narration for select titles. So, whether you're trying to save big on textbooks or just trying to relax with a book, the Kindle app for iPad is a must for school.
5 Quizlet
The best way to study terms and languages
Notes are great for taking in new information, but you'll want a separate app to study your material. Quizlet is the best way to do this, and it's the most advanced flashcard app available for the iPad. Quizlet now boasts a ton of new AI features, with one called Magic Notes that can automatically turn your notes into flashcards. However, this app is best used the old-fashioned way, as just the process of typing out flashcards in a study set can help improve your memory. After you make a digital flashcard set, there are different ways to learn the information, including game-style activities that make cramming feel fun.
The best part of Quizlet is that you can work together with current and past students to help each other study. Most sets are public, and Quizlet says there are over 700 million flashcard sets available on the platform. Chances are if you're using terms from a textbook, there's already a study set made for your chapter. This can save you time in various ways, from finding existing study sets to autofilling definitions that are already stored on Quizlet. If you need to study for something in school, Quizlet should be the first app you launch when you reach for your iPad.
6 Google Drive
A workspace great for collaboration and group projects
Regardless of what your favorite word processor is, there will certainly be a time in school when you need to use Google Workspace. The platform is unmatched in terms of collaboration, as you and your team can work on the same documents at the same time. More importantly, you'll be able to view these changes in real-time and leave comments with your collaborators right in the document. As such, Google Drive and the apps it includes are must-haves for group projects and team exercises in school.
Another great use for Google Drive is for editing. Instead of simply changing content in a document, spreadsheet, or presentation, you can "suggest" edits. When you're in suggesting mode, edits you make will appear in a different colored font, and someone will need to accept the edits before changes are finalized. This is perfect for editing other people's work since both parties can clearly see the changes proposed before they're actually made. Of the apps on this list, Google Drive is the least optimized for iPadOS. However, if you find yourself struggling with the iPad app, loading Google Workspace apps in Safari will launch the unabridged desktop client automatically.
7 Microsoft 365
Many schools use Microsoft 365, and the whole suite is on iPad
School systems will either use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 as their email and productivity hubs, but the latter is more common at the collegiate level. Though Microsoft 365 can be a pricey subscription if it's purchased separately, it's often included with tuition. With the single Microsoft 365 app, you can open any Microsoft file on your iPad without missing a beat. There are a ton of reasons you might need to do this in school, from reading syllabuses to reviewing lecture PowerPoints.
Microsoft 365 offers some iPad-specific features that make it a must-have for students with a subscription. For example, there's a scan feature in Excel that can transform your handwritten notes into a digital spreadsheet. The Microsoft 365 app for iPad also features Apple Pencil support in a few ways, and you can easily annotate documents with your stylus. Overall, the Microsoft 365 experience on iPad is comparable to that of a desktop computer, which is high praise for the company's productivity suite.
Microsoft 365 on the App Store
8 Chegg Study
Great for finding the answers to tricky homework problems
If you're taking a higher-level math or science class, you'll probably want to download the Chegg app. The service provides expert solutions to textbook questions that will either be used as homework questions or practice for a test. Plus, there are experts on the platform that can directly respond to student questions and learning videos available. Chegg doesn't replace actually doing your homework, but it can help you when you find yourself stuck and confused with a deadline fast approaching.
Similar to Quizlet, the Chegg app is successful because it has a lot of supported textbooks. All you have to do is enter the name and edition of your textbook in the app to find a full list of problems and solutions. Unlike just using Google to find the answer, the Chegg app actually shows you how to find the answer with periodic steps. If the problem you're struggling with isn't saved to Chegg, you can open the camera to scan the problem and search for a solution that way. It can be a pain to pay the $16 per month subscription to Chegg Study, but there's truly no app or service like it to help you study.
9 MyScript Calculator
A fun calculator that makes use of the iPad and Apple Pencil
A calculator is a necessary download because even in 2023, the iPad still doesn't ship with an official calculator app. While you could choose one of the hundreds of calculator apps on the App Store, one that differentiates itself is the MyScript Calculator. Essentially, this app functions as a blank notebook that you can write on with your finger or Apple Pencil. As you write math problems or equations, the app recognizes your handwriting and completes the operation for you.
While you might be skeptical about how well this works, we've tried it, and this app is a capable calculator for school. If you make a mistake, scribbling the number out with your Apple Pencil serves as an eraser. Best of all, the problems you've completed are saved in the app's history, so you can go back and see your past computations. If you're looking for a clever calculator that is specifically designed for the iPad, the MyScript Calculator is the way to go.
MyScript Calculator on the App Store
Plenty of more apps where those came from
Depending on your program of study, there might be specific and more niche apps that help you out. For example, there are a ton of health and science apps for medical students. If you're studying law, there are apps that will help you ace the LSATs and complete your undergraduate degree. However, the eight picks on this list should be useful to all students, as they're simply designed to enhance productivity and efficiency.
Some of these services and apps are completely free, while others come with a one-time or subscription fee. But, the paid options on this list are only recommended because they really do add that much value to your learning experience. All the apps will work with recent iPad models, but if you still need a tablet for school, the iPad Air 5 is a great choice. It's right in the middle of the iPad lineup and features a desktop-class chip, a modern design language, and second-generation Apple Pencil support.
Apple iPad Air (2022)
The 2022 5th-generation iPad Air is powered by the Apple M1 processor, it supports 5G for the first time, and it comes in an array of beautiful colors.