Throughout my two years, thus far, as a college student, I have found myself on countless websites, and I have definitely found some to be more beneficial than others. The following sites are what I have deemed the most noteworthy and worth your time. Ranging from entertainment to educational, these websites have become my go-tos.
1. The Skimm.
The Skimm is responsible for all my knowledge of current events. Every morning, The Skimm sends an email with the rundown of the previous day’s happenings. What makes it so practical (especially for us college students) is the terminology. Each news paragraph starts off with a catchy opening line followed by a short analysis of what you need to know about said event. The Skimm delivers you the news in words, terms and phrases that are understandable. The Skimm will sometimes have a special feature relating to something bigger or on going; For example during the presidential campaigns, the Skimm highlights each candidate and what you should know about them; During the height of Isis attacks, they highlighted the main people and some of the terms being used, giving a synopsis of each. The Skimm is the first thing I read in the morning and is the reason I am a more informed citizen.
2. BuzzFeed.
BuzzFeed is great to take quizzes about which Disney princess you are most like, but it also proves to be a good news source. It's constantly updating and fact checking their content so you know that what you are reading is legit. There have been many nights where I find myself reading one article and end up still intrigued, seven quizzes and four stories later.
3. Distractify.
This is exactly what it sounds like. Distractify is a site in which you go to wanting to read about anything and everything. While some articles prove to be educational and worthy, some are there just for pure comedic relief. Similar to BuzzFeed in many ways, Distractify will have you scrolling for hours.
4. Rate My Professor
While signing up for classes, this website remains open on my browser. Here, you can find (sometimes brutally) honest reactions to teachers from your school. You plug in the college in which the professor teaches and their last name. You will then be taken to many student opinions on this teacher, the average grade earned, their attendance policy, and their overall score. Definitely something that is worth looking at while evaluating classes.
5. Quizlet and Study Blue.
Both of these two websites serve as study sites which build off students. You can search your course name, teacher, or the chapter in which your test is on and find all sorts of flashcards and practice tests from students who have previously taken this class. Quizlet is more notecard driven, allowing you to create tests with the terms plugged in. StudyBlue offers notes and study guides. Although both have a free option, Study Blue additionally offers unlimited study guides for $7 per month.
6. Mint.
Mint takes all your spending’s and first puts it into a diagram to show you what you’re spending the most on. From there, you can track your spending patterns. Mint also can send you an alert when you are running low so you don’t overdraw. You can also set personal budgets so you don’t spend all your money on Saturday night. Your parents will thank you for this.
