For college students, studying equates to countless hours of reading and writing. Leaving little time for other pursuits.

In fact, first-year students spend approximately 6 hours on reading and churn out 67 pages of writing in an academic year. These numbers only climb higher as you advance through college, with seniors doing 9 hours of reading and 104 pages of writing.

What could you achieve with those additional hours? You could start a business, learn a skill, get more work experience for your resume, practice self-care, or network to get closer to your dream job.

The possibilities are endless. You just need to reclaim some of those hours. Here are seven online study tools to help you do just that.

1. Read Aloud Chrome Extension

The Read Aloud Chrome extension is a practical tool that transforms text into speech. Reminiscent of an audiobook experience, this tool significantly alters the way you read.

Key features and benefits include:

• Ease of Use: This tool converts your readings into engaging narrations.
• Adjustable Settings: You can control your reading pace with easy-to-adjust speed settings, allowing you to complete readings quickly.
• Versatility: But it’s not limited to readings – it also serves as an invaluable aid during the essay revision process.

I appreciate the fact that impenetrable walls of text can now be converted into narratives, delivered at a pace that suits me best. Moreover, this tool has demonstrated its value by being a helpful aid in refining my own written works.

We all know the benefits of reading our papers out loud. It helps us catch errors easily. But let’s be honest. After a while, it can be tiring. Personally, my mouth can get dry from reading my papers out loud. 

That’s where Read Aloud steps in. Allowing me to catch awkward wording or grammatical errors through the ‘robot voice’ reading my writing. It makes revising work simpler and less daunting while boosting efficiency.

After downloading, just highlight text on a webpage or PDF within Chrome, and click the extension. It’s that simple!

The next time your writing assignment needs revision or you’re behind on readings, give Read Aloud a try. It could be the game-changer you need to make your study process smoother and more efficient.

2. Chat GPT

ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can expedite your studying process without compromising academic integrity. This nifty AI can help with various tasks such as summarizing readings, interpreting prompts, and outlining essays, ultimately lightening your academic workload.

Key features and benefits include:

• Summarizing Readings: ChatGPT can provide detailed summaries of articles and readings by breaking down the arguments, sub-arguments, main ideas, and supporting details in a concise manner. This feature is beneficial when dealing with multiple readings and assignments. Here’s a useful prompt you can use: 

“I need you to provide a detailed summary of the following article. Please sum up each paragraph in a one-sentence summary. Also, give me a sense of the tone of the article. Is the author for or against the topic? Do they have a bias?” [paste article]

• Interpreting Prompts and Outlining Essays: ChatGPT can assist in interpreting prompts and creating well-structured outlines, helping you organize your ideas. Here’s a potential prompt: 

“I’m in need of assistance to create a well-structured outline for my essay on [insert topic]. The essay prompt I’m working with is: [insert the essay prompt]. I aim to explore [briefly mention the main points or arguments], but I’m struggling with organizing them effectively. Can you please provide me with a detailed outline to help me get started?”

• Sentence Rewriting and Editing Tips: ChatGPT can offer valuable suggestions to revise sentences or improve the flow, structure, and grammar of your essays. Try the following prompt: 

“I’m seeking your assistance in the revision process for an essay based on the following prompt: [insert original prompt]. I’ve already written an essay on [x]. Now, I’m looking for a list of edits and suggestions to enhance my argument, improve the overall flow, structure, and grammar. Your insights will help me significantly improve the quality of my essay.” [paste essay]

An effective way I’ve utilized ChatGPT is by summarizing my class readings. ChatGPT gives me a comprehensive breakdown of the text that proves invaluable when preparing for class discussions or assignments. This has saved me time and allowed me to catch up in numerous classes.

To use this tool, visit OpenAI’s website and sign up for a free account. Once logged in, you can experiment with the prompts I’ve written above.

ChatGPT can revolutionize the way you adapt to busy academic schedules, complete assignments, and gain insights from your readings. By leveraging this technology, you can conserve valuable time. Making your academic life notably more manageable.

3. ChatPDF

ChatPDF, as described on its website, is “Your PDF AI – like ChatGPT but for PDFs. Summarize and answer questions for free.” True to this tagline, ChatPDF extends the capabilities of ChatGPT by allowing the summarization of PDFs.

Key features and benefits include:

• PDF Reading and Summarization: ChatPDF offers a unique functionality of accessing, reading, and summarizing PDFs of articles. By highlighting key points, this tool allows you to comprehend complex texts without requiring you to go through the entire material.
• Effortless Research: This tool is useful during the research process. For instance, with ChatPDF’s succinct summary, you can quickly determine if an article is relevant to your research project, sparing you hours you’d usually spend on tedious reading.
• Customizable Prompts: Utilize the AI-generated questions about the PDF or ask your own for deeper insights. The AI’s initial summaries may be short, but you can customize prompts for better results. In practice, I’ve found it effective to ask the AI to summarize each section or paragraph in 1 to 2 sentences.

At times, this tool might encounter challenges in identifying separate sections. A straightforward solution is to guide the AI by offering an example of how to mark sections. For instance, you can say, “Each section has a heading like [provide an example], so please summarize the information under each heading throughout the PDF.” This way, you can effectively assist the AI in creating concise section summaries.

Upload your PDF and the AI will provide pre-written questions related to that document. Choose the prompt you’d like answered or ask your own question about the PDF. 

Now, you can free up the considerable time spent on reading and redirect it towards other vital assignments.

4. Blurred Thumbnails

As a student, it can be tough to stay focused while studying, especially when we have access to distracting platforms like YouTube. They’re built to keep you engaged, leading to less study time, lower grades, and all-nighters that damage your health. The Blurred Thumbnail Chrome extension is the perfect solution.

Key features and benefits include:

• Customized User Control: This extension offers the valuable option to blacklist or whitelist specific YouTube channels. This is done using select keywords or channel names, providing a personalized viewing experience.
• Full Distraction Barrier: Alternatively, following personal practice, the extension can be used to blur all thumbnails in study mode. This counters the influence of enticing thumbnails, effectively reducing continual video viewing and subsequent distractions.

Speaking from personal experience, this is my preferred approach. I don’t whitelist or blacklist any keywords or channel names; rather, I blur all thumbnails when I’m studying. This simple step helps me avoid falling into the trap of interesting video thumbnails, limiting unexpected YouTube distractions when I need to be studying.

The Blurred Thumbnail extension is critical in reducing distractions during study hours. Using this tool will help you make the most of your study time and improve your academic performance.

5. Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Say you have a writing assignment due in a few hours, and you are just starting. Choosing to manually type it out might put you at risk of late essay submission and consequent point reduction. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a speech-to-text software that speeds up the writing process so you can meet deadlines. 

Key features and benefits include:

• Speech-to-Text Technology: You can speak faster than you can type. Use this to your advantage with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Speak into your headset and let the software transcribe your words quickly and accurately.
• Efficient and Accurate Transcription: Cleaning up the output of speech-to-text tools is common due to errors, but Dragon NaturallySpeaking prioritizes accuracy. It even recognizes punctuation and phrases like “scratch that”, which allows you to edit your text via dictation.
• Reduced Physical Strain: This tool also helps to ease the strain on your hands from typing. It’s a great way to prevent strain injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, and related issues.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking has altered my writing process by allowing my thoughts to flow freely so that I’m no longer inclined to edit as I go. This speeds up my work.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking’s price depends on the specific edition you choose. If budget is a concern, alternatives such as Google Docs’ Voice Typing are available. But, in my experience, Dragon NaturallySpeaking remains the most accurate speech-to-text software. It’s a worthy investment as it can save you time that you would otherwise spend typing.

If you are seeking the latest version, it is available at Nuance! Older versions of the software may be available at retailers like Amazon or Walmart.

With its impressive accuracy and command recognition, Dragon NaturallySpeaking is an academic lifeline. Let it handle the typing so you can concentrate on shaping your ideas. 

6. Picture-to-Text Tools

Overcoming common e-learning issues becomes effortless with optical character recognition (OCR) technology. Picture-to-text tools are your go-to resource for converting images into editable text. Imagine you have handwritten notes that you want to convert into a digital format for better organization and searchability. This tool executes that conversion with supreme accuracy and efficiency.

Occasionally, your professors may provide scanned readings in an image format. However, text-to-speech software, such as the Read Aloud Chrome extension, can’t recognize text in an image format. That’s where Picture-to-text tech steps up, making these images into digital text that can then be read out loud to you.

Key features and benefits include:

• Language Learning Enhancement: Ideal for bilingual students; it turns readings into digital texts that students can then translate into their native language.
• Easy Transposition: Snap a picture of your professor’s whiteboard notes and swiftly convert them into text so you can incorporate them into your study materials.
• Research Aid: These tools simplify the process of finding relevant quotes from print resources for your research papers.
• Digital Document Conversion: These gadgets translate physical documents into a digital format, reducing clutter and enhancing portability.

Pro tip: Boost this tool’s power by combining it with others. For example, turn printed readings into digital text. Then, use ChatGPT or ChatPDF to summarize and Read Aloud for quick reading. 

You are free to select any picture-to-text tool that meets your needs. I frequently recommend Image To Text due to its user-friendly interface.

Overall, picture-to-text tools can cut down on the amount of time you spend typing and searching for particular passages.

7. Pomodoro Timer

Known for its structured focus approach, the Pomodoro timer has become a favored productivity tool by many. Using set time intervals – typically 25 minutes – it encourages you to immerse yourself in a task. This laser focus can enhance the quality of your work.

Key features and benefits include:

• Concentration Boost & Anti-Procrastination: This method ensures your undivided attention on your studies, preventing distractions and procrastination.
• Work Pacing & Time Management: The Pomodoro method strikes a great balance between work and break times, allowing for regular rest to recharge. It also gives you an idea of how long tasks take, helping you schedule your time precisely.
• Work-Life Balance & Enhanced Learning: Regular breaks can reduce stress. These breaks also lead to improved information retention and engagement.
• Creativity Sparks: The short intervals of relaxation can increase creativity and the flow of fresh ideas. 
• Accountability: This timer serves as a visual and auditory reminder, ensuring you finish your work.

I found that the Pomodoro timer boosts my productivity. The ability to focus intensely on schoolwork and enjoy breaks in between has made studying more manageable. Simultaneously, the urgency created by the intervals helped me to stop procrastinating and achieve more during each 25-minute period. Overall, the Pomodoro timer has become vital in my study journey.

To start using the Pomodoro timer on Pomofocus, follow these steps:

1. Add tasks: Input tasks and set estimated Pomodoro intervals for each (1 interval = 25 minutes of work).
2. Work & break: Start the timer, focus on a task for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break once the alarm goes off.
3. Repeat: Continue this process until your tasks are complete.

With the Pomofocus timer, you can boost your productivity and become more efficient in your studies.

By using these time-saving tools, you can transform your study habits and free up time for other activities. Embrace this opportunity to explore new experiences and make your college years even more productive.

About the Author

Jodi Felder, a California graduate student and writing tutor since 2015, infuses her content with unique educational insights and mental health advocacy. As the founder of Jodi Felder Copy, she’s known for top-quality content in education and self-help, with 5-star ratings across 100 orders. Connect on LinkedIn for collaboration.