9 Genius Programs That Will Make Your University Life Easier
They Certainly Did For Me
Hey friends👋👋,
today I want to share with you 8 software programs I discovered during my studies. 💻💻These programs really increased the quality but also the speed of my deliverables.
I was lucky enough to do my masters in a highly digital environment (Denmark) where I was challenged to always use the latest technologies. And let me tell you, I know the difference. My bachelor’s in Austria was mostly with paper and pen.
So in this post, I am going to share the 9 programs that helped me immensely through my studies. But I am curious to know if you are using programs that you think should be added to the list. Let us know in the comments below. 📝📝
#1 OneDrive
Whether it’s OneDrive, Google Drive or another cloud service, having your files in the cloud enables you to always access them from any device (phone, strangers pc, iPad, etc.) in any location.
Sharing files or folders during group projects is also super easy.
#2 Overleaf
I don’t know about you, but we had to write many reports in our masters (which I liked). Especially in engineering where we use many formulas, LaTeX is the go-to-tool. It takes care of the formatting, references and table of contents update automatically, and you are much faster writing your formulas.
Now, there are many LaTeX editors out there. But the one I found the best is Overleaf. Simply because you access it through your web browser and everything is stored in the cloud.
If you are interested in getting started with LaTeX and Overleaf, then check out this guide.
#3 Mathcad
This was THE biggest game changer for me personally, moving from Germany to Denmark - exchanging my physically hand calculations done on paper to a digital tool like Mathcad.
Anyone who is still using pen and paper, please, you have to digitize your calculations.
Mathcad is a tool where you can define parameters with values, such as cross-sectional width = 0.8 m and then use the parameters in formulas.
Here are some of the advantages:
Calculations are “parametric”. Change a value in the beginning of your sheet and the results changes in less than a second. How long does that take if you use paper? What about trying a few different values of cross-sectional dimensions to find the best utilization ratio?
All digitial advantages can be used: Searching, sharing the file, looks more professional
Can be reused for different projects. If you created a steel column design sheet, you can use it again for the next project and only change the values.
And it doesn’t have to be Mathcad. There are other tools as well, such as Maple, SMath or Calcpad.
So what’s the difference to Excel?
Well, it’s like paper calculations. You define the parameters, and then write the formulas step-by-step. So everyone can easily understand it. I haven’t had that experience with Excel, where the formulas are hidden in the cells.
You can also add units to the variables, making it harder to make mistakes! 👏👏
#4 PowerPoint
I personally love PowerPoint, but probably not for what you think.
I used it for many sketches for reports in uni, and I still use it for almost all of my sketches on my blog. I love the Shapes feature in it. It takes very little time to make great designs.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a big advocate for BIM and CAD drawings, but for sketching you need a fast tool. ⌚⌚
#5 Notion
Notion has become my second brain. I use it to document my goals, To-Do lists, thoughts, learnings and to store certain files. 📄📄
Check out this article on how I use Notion.
#6 Revit
Having a 3D model of your structural designs is a great communication tool when it comes to group work at uni. It helps explain certain ideas and everyone always knows what element you are talking about.
I was fortunate to study at a university where almost every student knew how to use Revit, and we used it in almost every project.
#7 FE Program
I didn’t name a product here, because in every country different FE programs are used. My personal favourite one is Rfem. However, when I moved to Denmark, I realized that nobody is using it there.
FE programs are essential to calculate reaction and internal forces of indeterminate structures. Unfortunately, many students rely way too much on these tools and don’t question their inputs, leading to dangerous mistakes.
#8 LanguageTool
Grammar or spelling mistakes happen in any language. But a Chrome extension like LanguageTool or Grammarly saves you! While writing this newsletter post, I probably already used it over 30 times.
Now I personally prefer LanguageTool over Grammarly, because it covers all the languages I use - Danish, German and English, while Grammarly only covers English.
Btw, both Chrome extensions are for free. 🙌🙌
#9 Greenshot
Greenshot has helped me make my screenshots look more professional and speeded up my workflow. If you are still using Snipping tool for your screenshots, give Greenshot a try or one of the other free programs.
In Greenshot you can add text, arrows, lines and much more.
Conclusion
Which of the tools are you using in your daily university or work workflows?
Did one of the tools make you curious to try? Which one was it?
Do you disagree with one of my views? Or do you use a tool we didn’t mention here?
Let us know in the comments below and let’s start the conversation. ✍️✍️
Have a great day!
Laurin
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