No one ever said college was easy, and in all honesty, it shouldn’t be easy. College, whether you are attending traditional universities or accredited online colleges, is supposed to be a time of intense growth that should challenge you to increase your thinking skills while simultaneously teaching you more about the world and the profession you are interested in entering.

While we would all love for college to be nothing more than one giant party, assuming that it will be that way all four years is ridiculous. So if you plan on succeeding during your college career, consider downloading the following essential mobile apps to make your time spent learning, studying, and writing a bit easier:

1. Flashcards Lite

Forget having 100 or more loose note cards lying around your desk or backpack. With Flashcards Lite you can have all your flashcards instantaneously on your phone or tablet for you to study with at anytime. You can still have your friends test you too by simply letting them hold your phone. There are over 800 card packs to choose from and packs range from Japanese to Nursing to Pilot Training. Even better is that the app is completely free.

2. iStudiez Pro

iStudiez Pro is essentially a one-stop shop for all college students. Not only will the app give you a summary of all you have on your plate for a single day, but it will also help you track your grades, review assignments, and allows you to sync all this information between all your Apple devices. With this app, there is no need for a planner, and you will be sure to keep your brain together in one easy place.

3. Dropbox

See a great idea for a project or paper? Have to collaborate with a group to complete an assignment? Dropbox allows you to store all the information you need to complete collaborative tasks in one easy to share place. Links, photos, sounds bytes, and documents can all be stored in the application which also makes it a great place to brainstorm ideas for your own personal projects. Not only is the 2GB app free, but it can be accessed from any mobile device.

4. Pulse

For college students, nothing is more important than staying aware of the world around you. Your college professors will integrate the latest news into your everyday lessons and many will expect you to comment or react to them as well in the form of discussion questions and papers. To keep you connected, download Pulse. Pulse allows you to create a live stream of stories from a variety of news sources that you are interested in. It will even notify you when new stories break so that you are always in the know.

5. Dictionary.com

Whether you like it or not, college is going to require you to read and write – a lot. So if you find yourself often struggling with vocabulary, consider downloading the dictionary.com apps. You’ll be able to quickly look up words so that you either A) know what your textbook is saying or B) saying something correctly – both of which are highly important if you wish to succeed in school.

College may not be the easiest feat you will ever accomplish, but it is definitely one worth accomplishing. If you want to get a job and succeed in today’s world, you have to have a degree and a specialized skill set. There is simply no way around it. However, having to go to college doesn’t mean you have to succumb to endless nights studying and planners filled to the brim. Using the right technology and having the right mobile apps can definitely make your life a whole lot easier, and help you achieve that degree without having to worry about summer classes or being a 5th year senior.