Long before COVID-19 shook up our approach to just about everything, college was already a hectic experience. Creating your own routine, learning to stick with it, and even just making it to the cafeteria on time for meals is a lot to handle – let alone the stress of classes.
With everything shifting to a remote or hybrid experience as students return for the fall 2020 semester, the college stress is becoming a whole new beast: students are now facing a lack of predictability, difficulty with online productivity, and general anxiety about this a-typical school year.
Thankfully, there are many digital tools available that can help students create their own sense of control and stay on top of coursework in this newfound setting.
My top recommended tool for students to stay organized and productive is Evernote – which can be used on students’ laptops (Mac and Windows) and on their mobile devices (iOS and Android). To take full advantage of the app’s benefits, Evernote is currently offering 50% off a full year of Evernote Premium to eligible students (*must have a valid .edu or .ac email address) to help with this tumultuous transition.
Below are some of my tips on how college students can use Evernote to supplement the remote learning experience:
- Staying organized. Evernote’s Cornell Notes and Class Notes templates help any student stay engaged and organized, whether it’s during a self-taught textbook lesson or a Zoom class lecture. As group projects turn into independent projects, use the Individual Project template to keep everything for a specific project organized and in one location. Then, set up a reminder in Evernote to help stay on track and meet deadlines.
- Prioritizing coursework planning. In times of change, planning is as important as ever. Students can establish day-to-day tasks and record progress with Evernote’s templates for daily planning and weekly planning. Nobody knows how long we’ll be in this new lifestyle, so it doesn’t hurt to keep tabs on your monthly goals as well to prevent losing any momentum.
- Collaborating remotely with classmates. Without seeing classmates face-to-face, the ability to collaborate remotely is key – especially with group projects. With Evernote, students can collaborate and share resources easily and conveniently – including notes, assignments, research, etc. All notes have shareable URLs, so classmates can share notes externally even if classmates don’t use Evernote.
- Keeping focused and grounded. Altering the learning environment is no easy task, but your attitude towards the situation can make the biggest difference in the success or failure of this shift. Students can use Evernote’s Daily Focus and Energy Tracker to monitor patterns throughout the day, and make any needed adjustments to have a better, more productive day.
Navigating the new normal certainly won’t be easy, but with the right tools and a productivity plan ready-to-go, college students can thrive in their new learning environment.
This year is going to be a unique experience for all types of students, but we’ll all be learning along the way. Onward!