I read this great post about Crucial Software for Students using Macs, so I thought, why not put up a list of great software for students using PC’s. I have gone through 4 years of undergrad school and am staring down the barrel of 2 years of graduate school, so I figure that I have tried a ton of things and could narrow it down to some essential apps. I have also thrown in a few programs for tablet pc’s, since that is what I have. I also happen to think that tablets were all but built for students and mine has truly increased my productivity. Anyways, I hope somebody finds this list useful.

School Work/Research

Microsoft Office: For me, this is the king of office suites. I know that there are cheaper or even free alternatives, but programs such as Open Office just don’t seem as good to me (features wise or performance wise). And with Office 2007 on the horizon, the series looks like it will be unbeatable for the near future. Download (Trial/Purchase)

Google Notebook: While this is only a Firefox extension and not a full program, I have found endless uses for it. “Google Notebook makes web research of all kinds – from planning a vacation to researching a school paper to buying a car – easier and more efficient by enabling you to clip and gather information even while you’re browsing the web.” I can’t say enough good things about this lightweight little guys that stores your notebooks within your google account. Download (Free)

Communication

Trillian: This excellent program is a multi-client application that allows you to connect to Yahoo, MSN, AIM, ICQ, and IRC in one program. It also features skins that will let you customize the look. Now while there is a pro version that costs money (boo! hiss!), it does add some nice extra features; for example, video chat with Yahoo and multiple identities. Either way, this is a must have. Download (Free or Purchase)

Skype: This has been my voice calling client of choice for a while now. The program is renowned for its free voice and video conferencing, and its ability to use peer to peer technology to overcome common firewall and NAT problems. This is what I used while in Switzerland and the performance was pretty good. Download (Free)

Backup/Protection

SyncBack: Easily backup, synchronize, or restore your files to another drive, FTP server, ZIP file, networked drive, or removable media. Highly configurable, SyncBack includes: detailed, easy to read log files; email results; simulated backups and restore; file filters; sub-directory selection; copy verification; background backups; auto-close of programs; easy and expert modes; profile groups; compare files, and an extensive context sensitive help file. Just an excellent backup utility. Download (Free)

AnyDVD: AnyDVD works in the background to automatically remove the copy protection of a DVD movie as soon as it’s inserted into the drive, allowing you then to backup the movie using a DVD backup tool such as CloneDVD and CloneDVD mobile (See below). You can also remove the RPC region code, thereby making the movie region free and viewable on any DVD player and with any DVD player software. Plus it can get rid of those legal notices! Amazing stuff! Download (Trial/Purchase)

Clone DVD: CloneDVD 2 copies movies to create unparalleled picture quality DVD backups, whether it’s the main title you’re copying or the complete DVD. CloneDVD will compress long footage at high speed to the highest of quality using specialised transcoding technology, allowing you to select your audio and language settings and also the final target size. There is also a mobile version that makes, among other things, iPod compatible files. Download (Trial/Purchase)

AntiVir: Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic protects your PC against dangerous viruses, worms, Trojans and dialers. Enough said. Download (Free)

ZoneAlarm: This seems to be the consensus for being the absolute best free firewall; actually, from what I can tell, it is billed as the best firewall period. Download (Free)

Miscellaneous

µTorrent: Most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients are present in µTorrent, including bandwidth prioritization, scheduling, RSS auto-downloading and Mainline DHT. Additionally, µTorrent supports the Protocol Encryption joint specification and peer exchange. Download (Free)

myTunes Redux: myTunes Redux is a program that allows you to download music made available by iTunes. It allows you to search everything on the network at once, live, and works with all versions of iTunes (from 4.1 through 4.7; not sure about other versions). An alternative would be ourTunes, which is a simple executable; no installation necessary. Download (Free)

DivX: Well, if you are going to be downloading all sorts of “research” videos courtesy of your schools bandwidth, chances are you will need a DivX player. There are also some great codecs out there too. Download (Free)

Tablet PC

Microsoft OneNote: I cannot say enough good things about this program. Not only does it organize all my notes with all kinds of highlighting and color coding and every other anal retentive inclination I have, but it also indexes them and makes the notes searchable; even the handwritten ones. This one is worth every penny. Download (Trial/Purchase)

Education Pack: This great pack of free software is specially tailored to students using tablet pc’s. Highlights include Ink Flash Cards and Equation Writer. And on top of that, all of this software is free; and it is from Microsoft! I think I heard the universe collapsing… Download (Free)
After compiling this list, I realized that the most education oriented apps seem to be under my table pc category. I guess I am just nuts about tablets; they are so damn fun to play with; and learn with… If you have any other suggestions, feel free to let me know.

Related Link: Online College Thinking about going back to college online? These schools offer fully accredited degrees online including bachelors degrees.