Since it is currently study week and since I am not studying any time soon, I thought I should gather all the useful websites/applications I have been using throughout the 3 years of me studying Diploma.

All of this are solely my own experience and I'm sharing it in hope it could benefit others too.

1. Dropbox

Many of the people around me would know how big of a Dropbox fan I am. Dropbox is basically Google Drive... but not by Google. I actually use 3 free cloud storage applications - Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive. Each have different storage space with Google having the most - 15GB.

But the reason I love Dropbox so much is because it is very fast and easy to sync without connecting to my Google account. I don't like the fact that Google will remember my account by default every time I log in to it. As a student who frequently uses a public PC, signing in to my Google is not my favourite anonymity-wise. Dropbox is also less messy as it has limited storage so you can't store much. Should be fine for school stuff as most of them are just documents. In my opinion, it is more appropriate to separate school from other life matters.

However, any cloud storage application will do. I highly recommend students to make use of it. I couldn't recall just how many times it has saved my life when I needed important documents without having the access to my laptop. So, use Dropbox on your PC and download the app in your phone. You can access it anytime you have an internet connection. Trust me, it's life-changing.

2. Canva

Canva is a website for editing pictures, posters and even resume. It is a quick, free and easy website that saves your history without having to pay any. 

If you used to like PicMonkey, you'd like this too.

3. CIMB Clicks (or any other online banking)

One of the most important app for anyone really. Making an online transaction whenever you need to, without going to the ATM so often could save you a ton of time. I don't know about you, but personally I have like 4 different bank accounts and that would be troublesome if I were to go to different banks every time I need to withdraw money. So what I usually do is I would transfer money online to the bank I have easiest access to - usually CIMB. 

That also means you should have access to ALL of your banks' online banking. Look up on how to activate online banking for your respective banks. On top of that, save your other accounts as favourites so it'd be easier to transfer without having to search for your account number. Not only will it be quicker to get your money, but also will be easier to handle them all online.

4. RedBus (or any other travel ticket booking)

Be smart when travelling to and fro college/university and buy your tickets as soon as possible ESPECIALLY if you're heading to places other than TBS/KL and if it's the festive seasons. Or else, I've warned you.

When using this type of apps, make use of the promo code. You can either get a cashback and use it on your next trip or get a discount on your current transaction. One of the reason I always use RedBus is because they always have promo codes.

5. Google Calendar

Do this every time you get your academic calendar: update your calendar events!!

When you do this, you would not only have to question everyone when is the term break and exam weeks because you could easily check it for yourself. If I were you I wouldn't want to check back that pdf your classmate shared on WhatsApp at the beginning of the semester too. This pretty much solves the problem for anyone. Coordinate your breaks, academic sessions and other personal events with colours. Not only will it look more organize, it will also turn out to be satisfyingly beautiful to look at.

Extra tips: For GIRLS, you can also track your period dates using Google Calendar, so you'll know when you can expect the stress coming.

6. CamScanner

Scanning a document nowadays don't even need to use the scanner, because you can simply use your phone for that. I've scanned everything from IC to signed documents and upload them on my Dropbox once I am done. This process is waaay faster than connecting your PC to a scanner and scanning papers one by one.

Just one tip: If you hate having watermarks on free app (like me), save all your documents as jpg instead of directly as pdf. Once you transfer it to your laptop, you can convert them online.

7. iLovePDF

You can use any online pdf converter like this to convert your files. Not only can it convert files, it can also merge, split and join different files (like pdf and jpg separately) into one pdf. This is a life saver and the best part is no log-in required... SCORE!

8. Hi-Q MP3 Rec

This app will only come handy once in a blue moon if you are not interested in editing work. BUT since I use it a lot, I thought I could just include this in. It is a voice recorder and what I like about it is, unlike the default recorder app on your phone, this one can save into MP3 file directly. Though the recording limit is only 10 minutes, it is usually sufficient for basic uses. There are other files it can save as like WAV and M4A but those are not as common as MP3. 

Converting video or audio files is my least favourite just because they are such a hassle and uses bigger storage, so I always prepare myself for an easier solution like this.

9. Offline dictionaries

I know... why would we need a dictionary when we can just google right? Wrong! Because offline dictionaries can give you a faster response when you need a good memory refresh. This app does not allow you to install that many slots for dictionaries though, but it is still quite handy with the English and also Korean to English dictionaries.

10. Forest

I find the pomodoro technique to be very difficult to engage with because my main problem is starting the work. I just tried using this Forest app (after so long since I've heard of it) which basically allows you to plant a tree and avoid you from closing the app and opening another one, or else your plant will die. What engages me to using it is seeing the "forest" grow. The more times I use it, the more trees I would grow which will create a nice forest. It gives me a reason to use the pomodoro technique, which I've always been wanting to try. I find it to be somewhat helpful since I always pick up my phone whenever I am trying to 'rest' even after only 10 minutes of working.

You should give this app a try. I saw a lot of studytubers recommending it and it might be fun for you to check it out too. When else would be the best time to use it other than during study week right?

That's it for my recommendations. I hope any of this could be helpful to someone. All the best on finals (or any exam you are facing with)!

Dropping by,
Melynn.