High school can be incredibly overwhelming; balancing classwork, extracurriculars, and a social life is no easy task. Luckily, there are tools out there designed to make your life a little bit easier! Whether you’re trying to prepare for college, organize your schedule, or just looking for a way to stay motivated — there’s an app for that. Here’s a curated list of our must-haves that’ll give you a little extra boost:
1. For College Planning: Encourage App
The Encourage® app is a personalized tool for college planning, designed specifically to help students find colleges that align with their interests, values, and goals. It offers features like scholarship searches, goal setting, and a college match tool that personalizes recommendations based on your preferences. It’s ideal if you’re feeling a bit lost in the college application process or need help figuring out where to start!
2. For Schedule Management: Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a straightforward and powerful tool to manage all your activities in one place. You can set reminders for assignments, create recurring events (like weekly study sessions), and color-code different activities for quick reference. It syncs across devices, so you can access your schedule anywhere, making it easy to stay organized and avoid double-booking yourself.
3. For Math Problem Solving: Photomath
Struggling with math? Photomath can help you figure out those tricky equations. Just take a picture of a math problem, and it’ll show you step-by-step how to solve it. It’s an excellent resource for when you’re stuck on homework, need to double-check your work, or want to learn how to approach different types of math problems.
4. For Studying: Quizlet
If you’re looking for a fun way to study, Quizlet is the app for you. It lets you make flashcards, quizzes, and games to help you remember important info. It also has learning modes like “Learn” and “Test” to help you review material in different ways! It’s especially useful for subjects that require memorization, like biology or vocabulary, and can make studying more interactive.
5. For Writing Improvement: Grammarly
Grammarly is more than a basic spell-checker. It provides suggestions to improve grammar, punctuation, and even the tone of your writing. Whether you’re working on a paper for English class or a college application essay, Grammarly can help you make sure your writing is polished, clear, and effective. The free version covers grammar and spelling, while the premium version offers additional features like style improvement and advanced suggestions.
6. For Mental Health and Wellness: Wysa
Wysa is an AI-powered mental health app that provides a confidential space to chat about stress, anxiety, or just daily challenges. The app guides you through exercises based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness, helping you manage stress and develop healthy coping mechanisms. Wysa also includes tools for tracking your mood, so you can better understand patterns in your mental health.
7. For Language Learning: Duolingo
If you want to learn a new language or improve your skills in one, Duolingo offers short, gamified lessons that make language learning accessible and fun. With over 30 languages to choose from, Duolingo breaks down lessons into bite-sized pieces, helping you build vocabulary and grammar skills little by little. This can be especially beneficial for high schoolers preparing for foreign language exams or looking to add a language skill to their college applications.
8. For Creative Projects: Canva
Canva is a powerful design tool that makes creating stunning visuals easy, even if you’re not a design expert. You can use it to work on school projects, create posters for a club, or design presentations. By using its thousands of templates, you’ll be able to stand out with polished, professional designs. Its drag-and-drop interface is user friendly, and most of the essential features are free to use.
9. For Habit Building: Habitica
Need a little extra motivation to stay on top of things? Habitica turns building good habits into a game. You can set goals for things like finishing homework, staying active, or practicing a hobby, and every time you complete one, you earn rewards. It’s a fun way to keep yourself on track and build routines that’ll help you succeed.
High school is full of challenges, but the right tools can make a world of difference. With these apps at your fingertips, you’ll find ways to manage your schedule, stay focused, and even plan for your future — all while making your high school experience a bit easier and more enjoyable.
All of these apps are available on the App Store and Google Play!
