Preparing for college is probably one of the most expensive ventures you will undertake in your life. Not only are tuitions through the roof, but you also have to prepare to pay for housing, textbooks, technology, lab fees, transportation and a whole host of other things in order to lay the groundwork for success. Still, there are a few things that college students can look for that won’t break the bank and in fact, are actually free for the taking. Here are 7 free websites that could very well help you with your academic career. Some are designed to help you save on your expenses, and others will be great in getting better grades. Whatever the case, bookmark these sites to make sure you don’t miss out on some pretty good perks.
Bigwords.com
Your professors will likely give you a list of textbooks, which they hope you will purchase at the university bookstore. While that may very well be a convenient option, check out Bigwords.com before you do that. When you input the name of the textbook you need, the website will offer you alternative and cheaper ways to buy it. With many university textbooks costing over a hundred dollars each you can imagine what kind of savings you will find.
RateMyProfessors.com
If your university is offering the same class taught by different professors, you can get comments and opinions from past students about each of the professors. If you have the luxury of choosing between two, you can gain quite a bit of insight on which professor you prefer before you decide.
Owl.English.Purdue.edu
This website can give you helpful tips and guidelines on how to properly format your essays. In fact, it is a great go-to place for finding out anything you need to know about your writing assignments.
Easybib.com
EasyBib is a great tool to help you create citations for any assignment you’re trying to complete. Simply type in the website, book, or newspaper article you want to cite and they will quickly provide you with the needed information.
SparkNotes.com
SparkNotes is the modern day version of Cliff Notes from way back when. While you shouldn’t rely on them to give you all the information on a particular assignment they can be great tools when it comes to helping you to understand a particular piece of writing. Whenever you’re having trouble breaking down anything you may have to read for class, this site will help you to understand using everyday layman’s terms.
Dropbox
If you don’t already have it, this site is the perfect place for you to store your documents. You can write a paper at home and print it on campus. It’s very easy to use and can allow you to access any of your work from any compatible technical device. So, whether you’re using your laptop or tablet you’ll have easy access to it whenever you need it.
CollegeHumor.com
When you need to take a break and you want to see something that will take the edge off of those stressful days, CollegeHumor.com has stored a host of videos, articles, charts, and other information that can give your spirits a lift. You can even submit a few ideas of your own if you like.
It’s true, life as a university student can be tough, however, it doesn’t have to be disastrous. By taking advantage of these freebies and a lot more you can be sure that your college years on campus will be worth the effort you put in.