How to Use an Ultrabook to Cut Study Time in Half

Being a student can be a blast – as long as you’re not spending all four years with your head buried in books.  You might be surprised how much time you waste by not taking advantage of readily available technology.  There are plenty of simple and inexpensive ways that can you can save time, improve your work, and maybe even boost your GPA.  Here are some ways an Intel inspired Ultrabook™ can help you get the most out of your classes and your college experience.

 

Use note-taking software.  There are a lot of popular note-taking applications, including Google Notes, Evernote, OneNote, and Uber Note.  These are amazing tools for keeping yourself organized, improving your note-taking capabilities, and staying on schedule.

 

Record lectures.  There are dozens of free programs to record and save audio files, and every Ultrabook is equipped with a built-in microphone.  If you want to boost the quality of your recordings, you can get a pretty decent USB microphone for as little as $40.

 

Use voice recognition technology.  A program like Dragon’s NaturallySpeaking can take what’s being heard in the classroom or the study room and automatically transcribe it into text for you.  

 

Use the cloud to collaborate.  Google Docs, Google Drive, and other cloud programs are great tools for sharing class resources and collaborating with peers.

 

Learn the shortcuts.  Windows 8 is designed to be an intuitive, time saving portal to all of your important programs and files.  You can make your life a lot easier by learning some of the simple, built-in Windows 8 shortcuts.

 

Work on the go.  With a portable device like an Ultrabook, you can make the most out of every minute you have in between classes, during your commute, or over lunch.  A convertible like the Yoga IdeaPad 13 is great for close quarters in tablet mode, and can be flipped to full keyboard mode when you need to get more involved.

 

When it comes to getting the most out of college, everybody will tell you to enjoy the social experience without neglecting your studies.  While that’s easier said than done, hopefully these suggestions will tip the party-study balance in your favor.