For Polished Writing: Grammarly and QuillBot
Submitting an essay riddled with typos is a quick way to lose marks. Grammarly’s free version is an essential tool that goes beyond basic spell-checking. It provides suggestions for grammar, punctuation, and clarity, helping you write with more confidence.
You'll also get feedback on your writing's tone. For times when you're struggling to phrase a concept, QuillBot's free plan can be a lifesaver. It allows you to paraphrase up to 125 words at a time, helping you reword sentences to improve flow or avoid repetition. Together, they form a powerful duo for ensuring every written assignment you submit is clear, correct, and polished.
For Next-Level Note-Taking: Notion AI
Organising your thoughts, lecture notes, and research materials is half the battle. Notion has long been a student favourite for its flexible, database-driven approach to note-taking. The addition of Notion AI, even in its free-trial form, takes this to another level. The free plan provides a limited number of AI responses, which you can use to summarise lengthy lecture notes, create outlines from messy brainstorming sessions, or even translate text. Using AI within your existing notes helps you find key takeaways faster and turn disorganised information into structured study guides.
For Brainstorming and Explanations: ChatGPT
When you're stuck on a difficult concept or need a starting point for an essay, a powerful chatbot can be an invaluable tutor. The free version of ChatGPT is widely available and can act as an all-round study buddy. You can ask it to explain complex theories in simple terms, brainstorm ideas for a paper, or help you structure an argument. While promotions for free access to the more powerful Plus version sometimes occur for students, the standard free model is a robust tool for day-to-day academic queries and creative problem-solving. It's like having a 24/7 study partner to bounce ideas off of.
For Academic Research: Consensus
Finding reliable, peer-reviewed sources is a cornerstone of academic work. Consensus is an AI search engine designed specifically for this purpose, searching a database of over 200 million scientific papers. Unlike a standard search engine, it provides evidence-based answers with direct citations. Its free plan allows you to run a limited number of searches per month, which is perfect for digging into a new topic. You can ask a research question and the Consensus Meter will show you the percentage of papers that support or contradict the idea, giving you a quick snapshot of the scientific consensus on a topic.
For Effortless Presentations: Gamma
Creating a professional-looking presentation can be time-consuming. Gamma is an AI tool that generates polished slides from a simple text prompt. The free plan is generous, providing users with credits to create a number of presentations. You can input your notes or an outline, and Gamma will generate a well-designed deck, complete with layouts and visuals, in seconds. While the free version includes Gamma branding, it's a small price to pay for the hours you'll save on formatting slides, allowing you to focus on the content of your presentation.
