More and more college students are opting for paperless methods to improve productivity. In particular, iPads are the greatest advocates that allow you to take digital notes or even plan your entire semester down to a specific date. I was initially skeptical about getting an iPad, but I am super glad I did! So, how do you organize your iPad for college?
Organizing your iPad for college requires using apps like Notability for digital notetaking and iStudiez for digital planning. Digital textbooks allow for all your books to be in one place. Apple’s magic keyboard, pencil, and a reliable bag for your iPad are essential accessories.
An iPad can change how you experience college, even going as far as improving your grades because you get a better handle on things. We’ll cover how digital notetaking, planning, and textbooks are better than traditional methods and how having certain accessories can benefit you.
How Do I Organize My iPad For College?
An iPad can do wonders to help you along what can be a rocky college road. More specifically, they are fantastic for digital notetaking, digital textbooks, and using a digital planner to remain punctual.
Digital Notetaking
Digital note-taking apps have great flexibility allowing you the freedom to write notes with your Apple pen or type them. You can add screenshots from your lectures while you work or copy and paste different graphs or different images onto your notes with a few simple commands.
Using the apple pencil or any other stylus is excellent if you want the pen-to-paper feel that many of us find nostalgic and comfortable, with all the digital benefits. Furthermore, you can also even record your lectures so you can play them back when reviewing your notes or if you need clarification on something.
Digital notetaking also gives you the accessibility to search and save your notes across different devices, so you always have them with you. Of course, it also means you’ll have all your fun and favorite stationery, like pens and highlighters, in one place, so it’s easy to find.
There are tons of great apps for taking notes; try to find one that you can make your own and that ticks all the boxes you need. The Notability and GoodNotes apps are among the best for taking succinct and highly-customizable notes.
Digital Textbooks
While some students prefer the traditional approach of carrying physical textbooks, they don’t know what they’re missing when it comes to iPads! They allow you to download digital textbooks if they are available in electronic copies.
It makes it much easier to download textbooks onto your iPad so that you can have all of your textbooks with you everywhere you go. Moreover, you don’t have to haul around half the library on your shoulders, and neither would you have the problem of missing them when it’s time to head to class or if you need to visit the library.
Having your texts in digital form also allows you to highlight within the text and take screenshots from the textbook and add them back to your notes. An iPad also lets you download any of your lectures or presentations; you don’t have to print them or keep them strictly on your computer.
Instead, you can upload them as a PDF to your note-taking app, re-write them, or overwrite them as you’re going through them in class.
Digital Planner
One of the most alluring reasons for students to have an iPad is to use a digital planner. It gives you the power to plan out your assignments, exams, projects, and papers in advance. Moreover, digital planners like iStudiez have many customizable options for every student’s preference. Otherwise, note-taking apps like Notability and GoodNotes also have fantastic planning capabilities.
For instance, you can erase things quickly, and because it’s all digital, it will always be within arm’s reach. If you need to shift anything in your schedule or mark something off your to-do list, you can do it on your iPhone, iPad, or computer because they can sync up.
You must maintain your planner system for it to function correctly. Set aside roughly 45 minutes each week to examine your upcoming projects and plan your weekly calendar accordingly. Make it a regular practice – like attending class – so temptation won’t veer you off the road of productivity.
If you picked an app with a GPA-tracking option, you might use this time to enter any grades you’ve received. Ensure you’ve specified particular activities to prepare for each project, assignment, or test. You don’t want to recall too late that you have a deadline. You need a strategy to keep submitting your finest work!
Some iPad Accessories Are So Useful They’re Mandatory
An Apple magic keyboard, Apple pencil, and a reliable bag for housing your iPad are essential ingredients for success.
Magic Keyboard
While you may write directly on the iPad’s screen, there’s much to be said for the convenience and practicality of a physical keyboard. It transforms your iPad into a mini-computer, making it easy to type on; plus, it has a USB-C port for charging your iPad and has one of the finest built-in trackpads.
While it’s possible to prop your iPad up on a regular iPad stand to achieve the same result, the magic keyboard makes it infinitely more valuable by allowing your iPad to work as a second display on your laptop. This feature is especially great for taking notes or writing papers.
Apple Pencil
For students, the Apple Pencil is a must-have accessory. It makes it easy to record notes quickly and effectively. It’s also useful for project planning, marking up early versions of documents, and working with various art and design programs.
A Reliable Bag For Your iPad
It should also be easy to transport your iPad. After all, if you’re going to be on campus for any length of time, you’ll want to ensure you have your charger and charging connections. A decent bag should also feature a spot for your keys, pens and pencils, and anything else you might need for the day.
Another question is whether you need a full-size backpack. If you carry a lot of books from class to class, we recommend investing in a heavy-duty bag with a padded section for your iPad.
Conclusion
Organizing your iPad for college involves getting a reliable method for digital notetaking, a digital planner, and downloading digital textbooks. These features will give you a better handle on time management and multi-tasking. At the same time, accessories like Apple’s magic keyboard, pencil, and a reliable iPad bag will make it all possible.
Where To Next?
This blog is a blog dedicated to using modern computing devices to run and manage a business. If you’re interested in using an iPad for your business, either as an entrepreneur, a small business owner or for your employees to use I recommend reading the following articles:
