How to Make Good Use of Your Laptop as a Student

Every student now needs to have a laptop or a PC due to the quick growth of online courses and classes. According to statistics, around 95% of American college students have a laptop. The majority of students don't know how to utilize their computers to their full potential while holding such sophisticated devices in their hands.

Before your classes even start, we've put up a list of tips to help you use your student laptop to the fullest.

1: Improve Your Note-Taking Skills

The simplest solution can be to take notes by hand since people and technology are now closely linked in modern life. This does not imply that you must accept a lifetime of subpar notes. 

Instead, there are certain things you can do to improve your electronic note-taking skills, such as "chunking" your notes to make them more engaging, rephrasing important ideas into your own words, incorporating questions to encourage repetition, and summarising the notes in your terms.

2: Don’t install any distracting software

When utilizing laptops in class, many students struggle academically due to multitasking. Most of the time, we think that multitasking is appropriate, yet it reduces productivity. Remove or stay away from music and gaming apps if you want to perform well in class.

Many applications will operate as distractions. You'll be able to concentrate on what matters by deleting or dismissing such programs. Additionally, it will enable you to learn more in the classroom.

Tips to avoid distraction and staying focused: 

• Before starting work, close any superfluous programs or websites.

• Stop receiving alerts.

• Locate a peaceful area where you won't be interrupted to work.

• Take frequent rests to prevent becoming overly exhausted or overwhelmed.

3: Utilise it to interact with your professors and peers

For college students, communication has been transformed by the internet, which now provides an easy means to get in touch with teachers. The ease with which one can now request assignment clarifications or set up meetings thanks to laptops. 

Also, other devices have improved accessibility and flexibility in student-professor relations, which were previously restricted to in-person sessions.

Google Hangouts and other online communication tools are currently used in a lot of college courses. You can interact with both your teachers and your classmates by using them.

4: Take Care of Your Laptop

As you are all aware, being organized is crucial for academic achievement. Yet many students fail to take into account one crucial element: maintaining a clean and organized laptop. 

A tidy desktop can increase speed and access whereas a disorganised one might be confusing and slow you down. Moreover, this is an excellent time to download any useful programs, including the industry-leading note-taking tool Evernote.

Following are a few more tips that can help to last your laptop longer:

• Keep your laptop spotless and dust-free.

• Keep your laptop from being overheated.

• Maintain regular data backups.

• Purchase a laptop bag or backpack to keep your device safe.

• Install security software to shield your laptop against malware and viruses.

5: Have Short Codes for Key Apps for Easier Access

Present-day students are required to attend many online classes each day, necessitating the use of tools like Zoom. Having a shortcut to the app on your laptop would make things easier for you because searching for it on your laptop might not be that convenient.

The same goes for shortcuts; group them all together in one location so you can access them quickly. To save valuable time, you can even develop shortcuts based on the lectures.

6: Regard Your Classmates with Consideration

It's possible to unintentionally break others' concentration while using laptops in class in addition to your own. Activities like watching movies, playing video games, or looking at photos can distract you from learning and be disrespectful to your instructor and fellow students in addition to impairing your performance. 

If laptop use is not widespread among the pupils in your class, think about sitting toward the rear of the room. Any potential distractions can then sit in front of you where they won't be able to view the screen.

7: Making backups of the crucial files 

Making sure to keep a backup of crucial files is another tip for students to maximize the use of their laptops. Always make a backup of your recorded class videos and notes to make sure you don't lose crucial information if your laptop is destroyed or if anything else unanticipated happens.

To always have access to the backups, save them somewhere else, like on an external device or in cloud storage.

In Conclusion

You can increase your productivity and make the most of your laptop as a student by following these eight tips. Always select a laptop that is appropriate for you and has the setup required for your course or class. This will enable you to resist the urge to use your laptop in a way that undermines your academic objectives.