12 Essential Apps for Grad School Success
Navigating grad school is a constant balancing act. Between classes, coursework, internships, and maybe even a social life (if we’re lucky!), it can feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day. My first semester was a crash course in time management, organization, and project management—and okay, okay I'll admit it, motivation and self-discipline too. My “old school” methods of handwritten notes and planners I’d forget to write in after a month were definitely not going to cut it. Great intentions, poor execution. Fortunately for me, I soon discovered useful apps that helped me streamline my workflow, stay on top of deadlines, and become a more organized and productive grad student. I’ve compiled a list of 12 of my favorite apps and online tools that have helped me the most. Not only have they made me more efficient and successful, but they’ve also improved my work-life balance. I now time to enjoy everything the community and UL Lafayette have to offer. Laissez les bons temps rouler, and geaux Cajuns!
Organization & Project Management Tools
1. Trello $0 – Plan and Visualize Your Schedule
I use Trello’s free platform extensively to manage my weekly schedule and workflow. It’s a very useful tool for organizing tasks and assignments by day, providing both structure and flexibility. The platform’s visual and customizable interface helps me stay focused, and I love the feeling of dragging my tasks into the “Completed” column once they’re done. That small dopamine boost from checking off tasks is incredibly motivating and keeps me productive throughout the week!
2. GoodNotes $0-$7.99 Plans – Digital Notetaking
This notetaking app has been extremely helpful for someone like me who retains information best by writing it out. GoodNotes allows me to take notes digitally, organize them into personalized and customizable virtual notebooks by subject, and upload and annotate files like online textbooks and lecture slides. It's also accessible anywhere, at any time with the offline mode. The price is comparable to what I’d spend on a few physical notebooks, and I love having all my notes in one convenient and organized place. Gone are the days of “Wait, is my purple notebook Statistics or Healthcare Information Systems?! Shoot... I brought the red one.”
3. Notability $0-$8.99 Plans – Digital Notetaking
I use Notability for my notetaking quite often as well. It has many of the same features as GoodNotes with the primary difference being how it’s organized. I prefer Notability for annotating and highlighting lecture slides and research, but it’s organized more like computer files rather than visual notebooks, which is not my personal preference. Both Notability and GoodNotes are excellent options at similar price points, so you can choose which style is best for you. You really can’t go wrong with either!
Research & Citation Management Tools
4. Zotero $0 – Reference Management
Zotero is my go-to for managing all my research sources, and it’s saved my sanity on many occasions. Organization isn't my strong suit, but Zotero makes it simple with intuitive prompts. I love that I can drag and drop PDFs to instantly generate citations in any format I need. It also easily organizes references into folders and tags them with keywords for quick access. Inserting in-text citations with the one-click feature is excellent when I’m on a roll and don’t want to stop and manually cite. The collaborative bibliography tool makes group projects and papers much easier too.
5. R Discovery $0 – Academic Research Tool
R Discovery is an incredibly valuable tool for making academic research much more efficient. Instead of spending hours searching through journals, it suggests relevant papers based on your areas of interest and study. I love the quick summaries provided for each suggested paper that make it much easier to decide which ones most pertinent for your research. The platform also sends notifications when new articles in specific fields of your choice are published, and that’s a big help when you’re working hard not to miss essential relevant scholarly articles. It has saved me so much time, and that means I’m focusing more on writing and analysis.
Writing & Study Tools
6. Grammarly $0 to $12 Plans – Writing Assistance
Grammarly has become essential to my writing process. It doesn’t just catch spelling and grammar mistakes. It also helps to improve the overall flow and tone of my writing. My favorite feature is the ability to set tailored “goals” for every piece of writing that I work on. For example, I usually set the formality as “formal,” my intended audience as “knowledgeable,” and the domain as “academic.” These settings tell Grammarly how strict to be with its suggestions. It also provides feedback on readability, vocabulary, and even reading time, so you get a better sense of how your writing comes across. It’s like having a personalized editor that adapts to the way you want to write.
7. Quizlet $0 – Studying and Learning
Quizlet is one of the most useful apps for grad students. If you’re like me, figuring out how to study can sometimes lead to overthinking, and I end up spending more time planning how to study rather than actually doing it. Quizlet takes the stress out of that by letting you create custom flashcards and quizzes, or you can find study sets already made by other students, complete with user reviews to ensure the accuracy of the contents. The flashcards are great, but my favorite part is the customizable practice tests, with options like true/false, matching, multiple choice, and written answers. Plus, it’s perfect for squeezing in extra study time. I often flip through flashcards on my phone while waiting in line instead of just mindlessly scrolling.
Communication & Collaboration Tools
8. Microsoft Teams $0 – Interuniversity Communication
UL Lafayette gives you access to Microsoft Teams with your university login, allowing you to easily chat with professors, hop on video calls, or work on group projects with classmates. Just knowing someone’s name is enough to connect quickly, which is fantastic when you need to reach out but don’t have a classmate’s number or email address. I've found it especially useful and convenient for sharing files and documents while working on group assignments. The ability to immediately see if someone is available with the green, red, or yellow circle by their name also is a great feature, helping you gauge if your message will be read quickly—or not!
9. GroupMe $0– Individual and Group Communication
I love GroupMe and find myself gravitating toward it for group communication, especially for my classes. It’s an excellent way to stay in close contact with classmates , remain up to date, discuss assignments, and plan study groups. I usually email a QR code and link to classmates at the beginning of the semester for all my classes, so we never miss a beat.
Focus & Productivity Tools
10. Forest $0 – Grow Your Focus
Forest is great for grad students trying to manage their time and stay focused. You plant a virtual tree that grows while the app is open. So simple, right? Wrong. If you get distracted and go off the app to search elsewhere, the tree dies. It’s motivates you to put your phone down during study sessions, and over time, your forest of trees is a visible reminder of your progress. That visually pleasing representation of productivity is especially satisfying.
11. Serene $0 – Block Distractions
Serene is a productivity app that helps you stay focused by breaking tasks into timed sessions and blocking distracting apps and websites. It’s perfect for grad students because it keeps you organized and focused, especially when juggling multiple projects or long study sessions. Personally, I love rewarding myself with a little phone time or a treat after staying on task through a full session—and that treat is totally guilt-free because I know I’ve earned it!
12. NaturalReader $0 – Listen and Learn
Natural Readers is a text-to-speech app that’s incredibly useful for grad students, particularly when you’re dealing with a lot of reading. It allows you to listen to PDFs, documents, or web pages, which is great for reviewing material on the go or giving your eyes a break after long study sessions. Instead of a podcast, I’ll even listen to my readings while driving or running errands. It’s also excellent for proofreading your own work. Listening to papers and written assignments read aloud helps me catch mistakes I’d otherwise miss.
Do you have a favorite app that isn’t included here? Share it here and tell us why it’s great for a grad students.
Written By: Courtney DeWeese, the Graduate School graduate assistant
