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Best Free Chrome Extensions I Used in College (To Save Time & Stay Focused)

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If you’re like most college students, you probably use Chrome every day—for research, essays, video lectures, and (let’s be honest) YouTube distractions. I didn’t realize how much time I was wasting online until I discovered a few free Chrome extensions that helped me stay focused, manage tabs, and get work done faster. Here are the 6 Chrome extensions I personally used in college , how they helped me, and which ones I still use today. Grammarly for Chrome I’ve mentioned Grammarly before, but the Chrome extension is a game-changer. It checks grammar, spelling, and tone across all websites —including Google Docs, Gmail, and discussion forums. Why I loved it: Caught errors in real-time Helped me write better emails to professors No need to copy/paste into another app Downside: Advanced features require the Premium version, but the free one was enough for classwork Momentum Every time I opened a new tab, Momentum greeted me with a calming photo, a motiv...
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Free Note-Taking Tools I Used in College (And Which One I Still Use Today)

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Taking effective notes in college is more than just writing things down—it's about organizing information so you can actually use it later. Over the years, I tried multiple free note-taking apps , each with its own strengths and quirks. In this post, I’ll walk you through the 3 main tools I personally used: Notion, OneNote, and Evernote —and I’ll tell you which one I still use today (and why). Why I Switched From Paper to Digital Notes At first, I was a pen-and-notebook person. But I kept running into problems: I couldn’t search for anything quickly I forgot notebooks at home Group study meant rewriting notes digitally anyway So, I tried going digital—and never went back. Notion I used Notion mostly for structured class notes and organizing course materials. Pros: Fully customizable pages You can embed videos, PDFs, checklists, calendars Great for organizing multi-subject dashboards Cons: Takes time to set up properly No handwriting supp...
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Google Drive for Students: How I Used It to Manage Everything in One Place

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College life comes with a never-ending list of files—essays, slides, readings, lab reports, and group projects. At first, I saved everything on my laptop desktop. You can guess what happened: things got lost, corrupted, or forgotten. Then I switched to Google Drive , and honestly, I wish I had started sooner. It became my central hub for everything academic , and here’s how I used it to stay organized, avoid data loss, and collaborate more easily. Why I Switched to Google Drive One day, I lost a nearly finished essay because my laptop crashed. It was due in 2 hours. That experience made me look for a better way to store and access files—and that’s when I committed to Google Drive. It was free, synced across devices, and easy to use. No more lost files. No more version chaos. How I Used Google Drive as a Student Organized Folders by Semester and Course Each semester had its own folder (e.g., “Fall 2025”), and inside I created folders like: “Biology 202” “Psych 101”...
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Trello for Students: How I Used Boards to Stay on Track With Group Projects

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Group projects used to stress me out more than exams. People forgot deadlines, duplicated work, or waited until the last minute. I knew we needed a better way to organize and communicate. That’s when I started using Trello , a free project management tool that works like a digital bulletin board. It helped my group stay on track, meet deadlines, and (finally) avoid chaos. Here’s how I used Trello for group projects in college—and why I still use it today. Why I Chose Trello for Group Work At first, I tried using shared Google Docs and group chats. It helped a little, but it got messy fast. There was no clear task list , no deadline tracker, and people kept asking, “What am I supposed to do?” Trello solved all of that with one simple concept: cards on a board . How I Set Up My Trello Board for Projects Board Title = Project Name For example: “Marketing Strategy Presentation” Lists for Progress Stages To Do In Progress Review Done Cards for Tasks Eac...
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Otter.ai for Students: How I Transcribed Lectures and Took Better Notes

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I used to struggle with taking notes during fast-paced lectures. By the time I wrote one idea down, the professor was already three topics ahead. I missed important details all the time. Everything changed when I started using Otter.ai , a free app that records and transcribes speech into text in real time. It didn’t just save me from bad notes—it actually made me a better, more confident student. Why I Tried Otter.ai One of my professors spoke fast and didn’t post slides. I knew I couldn’t catch everything by hand. A friend recommended Otter.ai, saying it could automatically transcribe lectures , even with background noise. I was skeptical, but I gave it a try—and never looked back. How I Used Otter.ai in My Classes Recording Lectures (With Permission) Before class, I asked the professor if I could record for personal note-taking. Most said yes, especially if I explained I wasn’t sharing it. I opened the Otter.ai app, hit record, and let it do the work while I focused o...
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Canva for Students: How I Made Standout Presentations Without Design Skills

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I’ve never been good at design. In group projects, I was always the one writing content—not making slides. But when I discovered Canva , that changed. With zero design experience, I started creating professional-looking presentations, posters, and social media content for class projects—quickly and for free. Here’s how I used Canva in college, what worked, what didn’t, and why I still use it today. Why I Started Using Canva It all began with a group presentation where no one wanted to touch the design. I googled “easy presentation tool” and Canva popped up. The first time I opened it, I was blown away by how intuitive it was. I didn’t need to install anything, and there were hundreds of free templates ready to use. How I Used Canva as a Student Group Project Presentations I picked a template, added text and images, and adjusted colors to match our topic. No one in the group believed I made it myself. Posters and Flyers For campus events and class assignments, I used C...
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How I Used Grammarly to Improve My Academic Writing (Without Paying)

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Writing clearly and correctly in English was one of my biggest academic challenges in college. As a non-native English speaker, I often lost points on grammar—even when my ideas were solid. That changed when I started using Grammarly’s free version. No, I didn’t pay for Premium. But even the free version helped me become a better writer over time. Here’s exactly how I used it, what it helped me fix, and what I learned along the way. Why I Started Using Grammarly My professor once said, “Your ideas are great, but the grammar gets in the way.” That hit me. I knew I needed a tool that could give me instant feedback while writing. I tried a few grammar checkers, but Grammarly was the cleanest and easiest to use. It worked inside Google Docs, emails, and even discussion boards , which made it perfect for everyday use. How I Used Grammarly (Free Version Only) Essay Drafting in Google Docs As I wrote, Grammarly underlined grammar, spelling, and clarity issues in real time. I d...
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