One of the things you will be required to do as a college student is to write, regardless of which classes you choose to take. This means you will have to write essays, term papers, reports, and in some cases, you will also have to take the time to write a thesis.
In order to keep up your academic performance, and make the most out of your writing skills, there are plenty of apps, tools, and resources online which you can use to make your education process a lot easier. They become essential even from an early age but for modern students their usage is crucial.
Because of that, we have come up with a list of 10 essential writing apps that will help you ace your writing assignments. Keep on reading.
Make Writing on iPhone and iPad More Efficient With These Apps
1. Pages for iPhone
If you are looking for a word-processing app for your iPhone, you don’t need to look any further than Pages. It enables you to create great-looking documents with ease, which you can also edit on other Apple devices.
Aside from offering all the standard features, you would expect from a word processor, Pages is also capable of creating documents which are compatible with both Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat. If you plan on using on your iPad, you will be happy to hear about its Split View feature, which allows you to work on two documents simultaneously.
2. Dictionary.com Dictionary and Thesaurus
One of the reasons why academic writing is such a challenge is because it requires you to use complex words and phrases which you wouldn’t come across in everyday life, according to Jane Bishop, who is a writer for SuperiorPapers. With this app, you will be able to expand your vocabulary, as well as learn how to use each word inside proper context, along with proper pronunciation. You can also look up words in alphabetical order.
3. iA Writer
While powerful text editors are certainly useful, sometimes they offer too many features which act as a distraction. This app offers only the most basic editing tools, which allows you to concentrate on nothing but writing, and then perform all the necessary edits later. But, it does come with one clever feature called Focus Mode, which accents certain parts of the text (for example, verbs, nouns, adjectives, and so on), which comes in really handy when you are proofreading your work.
4. Write About This
Even though this app was primarily designed for elementary school students, it is very useful if you have missed out on some of the writing basics, such as composition. What this app does is provide you with writing prompts, after which you are required to expand on the idea and come up with your own story. Apart from helping you develop your writing and storytelling skills, it can also serve as a tool that will get in the mood for writing.
5. Jotter Pad
This amazing app enables you to write down your ideas and thoughts on the go, but it’s equally effective if you are sitting at home, focused on nothing but writing. It can be used on any device, and sports all the essential features you would expect from a text editor, plus a few extra ones, such as Night Mode, and the ability to export your work to HTML and RTF. You can also connect it to your Dropbox account. We especially love the auto-save feature, which means you will never have to worry about your work being lost.
6. Monospace Writer BETA
Another minimalistic text editor which allows you to write down your work wherever you are, as well as perform the most basic formatting. What sets this app apart is its ability to automatically save your work into the appropriate folder. All you have to do is put a hashtag at the end of your document, and the app will store the document where it needs to be. Since you are a college student, you are probably already used to using hashtags on a daily basis.
7. Ulysses
if you are looking for a distraction-free app which still offers advanced editing features, you will find much to like about Ulysses. There are several writing modes you can choose from, such as Fullscreen of Typewriter mode. It also works brilliantly with external keyboards, which is not the case with most mobile editing tools, and it allows you to insert links, comments, images, and footnotes inside your text documents. Also has a built-in spell checker.
8. Microsoft Word for iOS
For those of you who simply cannot imagine any type of writing or editing without Microsoft Word, this mobile version of the most famous word processor offers pretty much everything you have grown accustomed to in the desktop version of the software. They have also done a great job of optimizing it for mobile devices because it is no longer slow and clunky. It also allows you to export your files directly to Dropbox.
9. OmniOutlines 2
The best way to approach your academic writing assignment would be to write an outline first and then take it from there. OmniOutlines 2 provides you with a wide variety of outlining options, which enable you to put your ideas in the right order. You can also make use of numerous themes and templates. What we really like about this one is that you can collapse or expand parts of your text, so that you can focus more easily on the paragraph you are currently working on.
10. Hanx Writer
Designed by Tom Hank (yes, THE Tom Hanks), Hanx Writer is certainly not the most effective writing app, but it is one of the most charming ones. Basically, it works like a digital typewriter, with all its quirks and limitations. That means you won’t be able to delete text in case you have made a mistake. Whenever you don’t feel like writing, try using Hanx Writer and see if it sparks your imagination.
Conclusion
With these helpful tools and apps under your belt, there is no reason to dread academic writing anymore or any other type of writing for that matter. Unlock your full writing potential today.
Joan Selby is a former ESL teacher and a content marketer. She also runs her own blog about social media and writing tips. Joan is a Creative Writing graduate and fancy shoelover. A writer by day and reader by night, giving creative touch to everything. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook