Essential Software for Community College Transfer To Ivy League

Most community college transfer students are well aware of the utility provided by the many electronic devices on the market these days, mainly in the way of laptops and tablets.

These gadgets allow them to take notes, write papers, create presentations, do research, and stay connected through email, video chats, and so on.

But the only way that machinery can deliver the functionality that students need is through the software that is installed.

And while there are a plethora of programs available to consumers from every walk of life, there are certain areas that are bound to be more attractive to students.

For example, a student living at home might not necessarily be drawn to financial software in the same way that parents and homeowners would.

So here are just a few essential programs that every community college student will want to explore on the way to transferring to Ivy League universities...

Word processor.

While most laptops come with a Microsoft Word or a similar program already installed, some students will want to save money on this pricy software, and build-your-own options from sites like Dell make these allowances.

Or you might be using a lightweight and portable tablet to take notes in class or write papers, in which case you'll want to download a word processor program from the app store.

Apache can help you here with a variety of free and open-source software options (like OpenOffice Writer), and Pages for your iPad is a well-liked program that offers a lot of functionality at only $10 to download.

Calendar.

When it comes to managing a hectic college schedule, including classes, study, social events, ivy league transfer applications, and possibly even a job, you could definitely use some good software to keep you on track, and one of the best options out there, according to many a student, is Google Calendar.

You can use it to put together your entire schedule weeks or months ahead of time on your computer or laptop and then sync with your mobile devices to update on the go, get alerts, and even share with family and friends.

And of course, the best part for any community college transfer student is that it's free.

Storage and sharing.

Aside from storing files on your hard drive there are many options nowadays that lend themselves to the dual purposes of storage and sharing, and the combination can be a godsend for the harried transfer student.

With solutions like cloud networking (via Google, Amazon, and other outlets) and free software applications like Dropbox, you can easily upload an important class paper from your home computer and access it on campus through your laptop, tablet, or even your smartphone in order to ensure that you never again show up to class empty-handed.

This is also a great solution for group projects.

Communications.

Whether you're taking NOVA community college online courses, emailing with your teacher and classmates, or video conferencing with your friends that have gone off to other cities, states, and countries for school, every community college student can agree that communications software is essential in this day and age.

So don't hesitate to set up freebies like web browsers (Mozilla Firefox, for example), social networking accounts (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.), and video chat programs (Skype).

E-reader.

With more students giving up heavy and cumbersome textbooks in favor of eminently portable e-versions, you might find yourself on the lookout for comprehensive e-book software.

While the iPad, Nook, and Kindle (amongst others) come with e-reader capabilities, you may also want to download programs like Adobe Reader so that you can access PDF files and Calibre to manage your e-book collection.