Top 6 Google Chrome Extensions for Students in 2019

Student life can be busy. Luckily, there are Chrome extensions that can make life easier and increase productivity. Chrome extensions are smaller pieces of software that work to add extra functionality to your Chrome browser. They work rather simply – users only need to download them and they’re ready to go.

How to Add Extensions to Your Google Chrome Browser

Before getting into what the best Google extensions for students are, it’s important to address how to add them in the first place. The process is very easy and won’t take you any time at all.

First, visit the Google Chrome webstore. Here, type in the extension you’re looking for into the search bar to find it. Once you find the right extension, open the option up. Then all you have to do is click the “Add to Chrome” button to the right of the banner with the name of the extension. Below this banner, you can view information about the extension and look at screenshots of it in use.

From this point, the extension you’re using might ask the user to log in or consent to certain information permissions.

Alternatively, for downloading an extension to your phone, follow the same steps but start on the Chrome app and click “Add to Desktop.” Sometimes an app you download independently may have Google extensions. When Chrome is next opened, simply click “Enable.”

You can find detailed instructions of how to download Chrome extensions under different conditions through the Chrome Web Store Help page.

1. Grammarly

Download Grammarly for Google Chrome

Students spend a lot of time on writing assignments. Sometimes, though, the intricacies of the grammar and wording are hard to catch. This is where Grammarly comes in.

The goal of Grammarly is to improve any form of written communication. As such, it will work when the user is typing a document in Google Drive, emailing a professor, or even crafting a social media post. They even have a website of their own that you can use and store documents in.

Grammar checks include spelling, subject-verb agreement, article use, modifier replacement, comma splices, and more. With an upgrade to Grammarly Premium, users can access corrections for additional errors, vocabulary enhancement, plagiarism checker, citation suggestions, and writing-style specific tips.

It is worth noting that online help is more valuable for those students who struggle with writing and research or lack time. In such cases, some show poor academic performance while others resort to the help of a top rated essay writing service, EssayPro. This platform offers native writers ready to help with any topic in a short time. Students can order any kind of essay, literature review, research proposal or even a dissertation chapter directly from the website.

2. Google Dictionary

Download Dictionary for Google Chrome

Google Dictionary is a great way to study unfamiliar material or enhance vocabulary. The Google Dictionary works by allowing the user to double-click and word and read the definition in a pop-up bubble.

If the user allows, the extension will store looked up words what can be accessed as a CSV file. This makes it easy for students to create flashcards from online notes or ebooks. The dictionary also supports a variety of languages such as versions of Chinese and English, Turkish, Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, and the list continues with others. The download page features a full list of languages.

The download page also offers a couple of tips for getting the dictionary set up. Any pages open before the extension is enabled should be reloaded and it’s important to keep the software up to date.

3. Office Editing for Docs, Sheets, & Slides

Download Extension

Students are given a lot of files to read and study as they move through their academic career. With this in mind, it’s important to ensure that you can view the file types professors are sending out.

Many students already use Google Drive for creating and editing documents, spreadsheets, and slides. With this extension, though, you can pull of Word Documents, Excel Spreadsheets, and PowerPoint files made in Microsoft Office online. With this feature, you don’t need to worry about having Microsoft Office downloaded to your computer to see these files. Instead, you have a free program that works for you.

After you install the Chrome extension, all you need to do is drag the document you want to open into the Chrome window. Then, these files can be saved in Office format or converted to Google Drive format for editing.

4. Block & Focus

Download Block and Focus for Google Chrome

We live in a world where anything we could want is at our fingertips. This means that when you jump on your laptop to work on an essay, you’re only a few clicks away from social media, streaming services, and more. In other words, it’s easy to get distracted from work to do something more entertaining.

Block & Focus allows users to block distracting websites during study time. All you have to do is type in a list of websites that you don’t want to be able to access and the length of time you don’t want to access them for. Even further, you can add in a window of time when these sites are unblocked to allow for a scheduled break.

Now, the extension also offers statistics to users. This page will show how long you’ve worked as well as how many times you tried to access a website while it was blocked.

5. WolframAlpha

Download WolframAlpha for Google Chrom

A big part of a college student’s life is research and study. WolframAlpha can help this along by offering quick and easy access to expert information. It’s also great for any major or subject as it covers everything from finance and math to medicine and stocks.

To use the extension, all you have to do is right-click the WolframAlpha icon. You can also access it through Google’s Omnibox – this is the bar at the top of your browser where you enter searches and URLs. All you have to do is insert a “=” with space after it. A context menu shortcut can also be made by highlighting text and right-clicking an entry within the context menu.

6. Writer

Conclusion

With these Google extensions, student life will be much easier. They can make it easier to see files, improve grammar, find information, and focus. Better yet, all a user has to do is install them and get to work!