Free College Resources
Wondering how in the world you’re going to stay on top of assignments? Needing a little help with your english or chemistry homework? We’ve got you covered, and these resources won’t take a bite out of your wallet.
Organization & Planning
EmmaStudies- hands down my favorite place to find organization printables. She has everything from studying schedules to language learning tables.
*and pre-meds: she has free organic chem hex sheets!
iheart organizing- also lots of free printables to organize your days and your life.
SmartGirl Studies- like EmmaStudies with lots of free studying and planning printables made for student life.
OneNote- if you don’t have Microsoft Office on your devices already, you can probably get them for free through your university. OneNote syncs between devices and you can create different “notebooks” and “pages” for taking notes in different classes and lectures.
Grade Calculator- this is super helpful right around finals weeks! 😬 There are options for calculating what you need on a final, on remaining assignments, and calculating your cumulative GPA.
RateMyProfessor- aaahhhh this is SO helpful for planning your schedules! You can look up ratings for different classes and professors, which can help you decide which class section to sign up for or which general elective classes to take!
Content
Slader- has many step-by-step problems from most textbooks. Super helpful if you just get really stuck on a problem and it’s too late to go to office hours. (but go to office hours. please. I’m begging you.)
WolframAlpha- like the coolest calculator ever. It also goes beyond math; you can look up a whole bunch of facts about pretty much any subject, including chemical reactions!
Symbolab- this is ALSO a super cool calculator. It even shows you the steps to solve whatever problem you search! (but see above about going to office hours!)
Campus Library- talk about underutilized! (including by me) Your campus library should be one of your first stops if you’re looking for scientific articles and research help. You probably don’t even have to step inside. My campus library’s website has links to discipline-specific journal search engines that can only be accessed through the library.
Apps
Quizlet- everyone already knows about Quizlet, but it deserves to be on this list
Pocket Points- lock your phone & put it in phone jail during your online classes or study sessions to start collecting points. Points can be redeemed for coupons to a variety of stores. (I don’t think I’ve used a coupon yet, but this still works on me lol)
Microsoft Office Lens- a scanner app for your phone so you can immediately turn paper assignments, homework, or notes into PDFs without clogging up your Photos app.
Anki- a downloadable app for your computer, Anki is a smarter flashcard system that tests you on your cards at variable times depending on how confident you are with them, meaning that you see the cards you know less often and the cards you struggle with more often!
*pre-med and med students swear by this app, and you can find pre-made MCAT study decks on Reddit
Also, take advantage of all of the support that’s offered to you through your college. More than likely, there’s a career center available to you (again, for free) for career advising, internship seeking, resume checks, and mock interviews. There’s also likely an office for student success/support which may offer seminars on everything from testing strategies to budgeting. Plus, be on the lookout for major-specific clubs or honor societies that invite speakers from your career field who can share their wisdom and advice. And again, professors are one of the best resources out there. Your tuition is paying for them, so don’t be afraid to bother them (within reason of course)!
As always, I hope these recommendations help make your life a little easier and help you know where to go for help. It’s out there! (and if it isn’t, be there for someone else!) Feel free to drop your own free resource suggestions in the comments below!
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Written by Holly Lakin on Aug 31, 2020