Your first year of college is something you’ll never forget. There will be crabby professors, parties, campus events and new friends. Don’t let all the excitement keep you from being totally organized and rocking your first year. Not many college students realize how hard it can be to play catch up from a year’s worth of partying and not-so-hot grades. These useful web tools will help you earn the grades your parent’s will be proud of while you are secretly having the time of your life as a freshman. Unfortunately, none of the web tools featured below will write a term paper for you, but they will certainly get you on the right track.
Simplify Your Life – Web Tools to Keep You Organized, Focused and Social
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1. Google– Google is hands down one of the best search engines available. Enough said.
2. Google Docs – Google Documents is a free document creator and editor that’s based completely online. You can create, edit, share and store documents online or save them to your desktop with this handy service.
3. Meebo – Use Meebo to sign in to all of your social media accounts from anywhere. Connect to AIM, My Space, Facebook, MSN, Yahoo during your downtime on campus.
4. iGoogle – iGoogle is a free RSS reader and organizer that keeps all your favorite blogs and news services loaded in one place for easy access.
5. delicious – Delicious is another social bookmarking application that allows users to bookmark and share interesting things found on the web with other delicious users.
6. Stumble Upon – Use Stumble Upon to find links to stuff that interests you. This website will find and recommend places to visit online based on your profile and searches.
7. Mozilla Firefox – Mozilla Firefox is a powerful browser that you can download for free and add a bunch of useful applications to so your time on the Internet is spent efficiently.
8. Tada List – Tada List is a free, easy to use to-do list that stores your own to-do lists and suggests other pre-made to-lists to download in addition to your own list items.
9. Autofill Forms – Filling out forms online is tedious. Use this Firefox application to make it a breeze.
10. Leechblock – Leechblock will help you stay out of your inbox, off Facebook and any other web distraction while you are working away on your computer. Set it to automatically block the sites that keep you from doing your work for a specific period of time.
11. Sort My List – If you have a to-do list or grocery list as long as your arm, use Sort My List to organize your items into manageable chunks so you can get them done faster.
12. Firefox Add-ons: Read It Later – Read It Later is a cool Firefox add-on that allows users to save a web page without bookmarking it permanently. It will save the page you’re on for easy viewing later.
13. Firefox Add-ons: LastPass Password Manager – Once you get to college, you may find that you’re suddenly dealing with multiple passwords. Keep them all in one place so you never have to reset a password again.
14. Firefox Add-ons: Adblock Plus – This Firefox add-on will help keep pop-up ads at bay when you are using your Firefox web browser. There’s nothing more annoying than a ton of pop-up adds exploding on your screen when you are trying to research for a midterm paper.
15. Firefox Add-ons: Video Download Helper – The Video Download Helper ad-on for Firefox will give your computer a boost when you need to download a video. This will come in handy for online assignments that require video viewing.
16. Firefox Add-ons: Reference Desk Collection – Become your own librarian with the Firefox Reference Desk Collection. This group of add-on’s is customized for heavy researchers and perfect for college students.
17. Firefox Add-ons: Social Circuit Collection – Don’t fall out of the loop while you are busy in class. You can download the Social Circuit Collection to your Firefox browser and have Facebook, My Space, Twitter, text messaging and a bunch of other social networking add-ons right at your fingertips when you go online.
18. PDF Online – Convert documents, web pages, images and more to PDF files quickly with this easy online tool. Best of all, it’s free.
19. GoogleToolbar – The Google Toolbar allows users to easily search Google from whatever website they’re currently on. No more hitting the home page or typing in Google’s web address to search.
20. eFax: Internet Fax to Email Services – At some point in your college career, you’ll probably need to use a fax machine Instead of going all over town to find one, you can use eFax to send and receive faxes through your email.
21. Out of the Dark – Since you’re in college now, you’ll probably have to be more responsible with your money. Manage it with this free and easy financial organizer to keep your account in the black.
22. Zotero Zotero is a Firefox extension designed to help you keep up with and cite sources while you research. Perfect for college students.
23. Google Calendar -Manage your life with Google’s free calendar. Pull it up anywhere you can get an Internet connection so you’ll never forget what’s on your agenda.
Online Study Tools for Help in a Hurry
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24. Wikipedia– Wikipedia is a great starting point for research, but not recommended as a source since it’s an open resource. If you’re looking online for a specific topic, check Wikipedia and scroll down to the references to find reliable sources.
25. Quick Math.com – While we don’t recommend using Quick Math to actually learn your calculus, this website will do the math for you for free. It’s a great tool for checking your homework answers.
26. Buddy School Online Tutoring – Find a tutor quickly with Buddy Scholl Online Tutoring, or become a tutor yourself and get paid for your help in a subject you rock at.
27. Cramster.com – This free online study community can help you find an answer quickly and provides a great list of resources for study and homework help.
28. TutorLinker.com – This tutor linking service will help you find a tutor nearby so you can keep your grades high in tough classes.
29. Tutorz – Tutorz is another searchable website that will link students with tutors in their area for free. If you plan to tutor, post your profile here to help students find you.
30. Sparknotes.com – Sparknotes are the classic quickie way to consume a whole book or subject in a short amount of time. If you forgot to do your reading for Great Books, scurry to Sparknotes to see if you can catch up before your professor drops a pop quiz on you.
31. Student Writing Coach – So you’re stuck trying to start a paper. Head over to Student Writing Coach, follow the prompts and you’ll have a working draft in no time for free.
Preparing for the Next Three Years of College – Financial Aid, Scholarships, Housing, Textbooks and College Resources
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32. University Notes– Find notes for a class from top students at your college or university. Share your notes or course materials with other students so you don’t miss anything on your mental health days away from class.
33. Dormspot – Dormspot will narrow down the things you need to make your dorm a home away from home. You can also use the site to search for textbooks.
34. Upromise – Do you do a lot of online shopping? Sign up for Upromise and get some free cash from sponsored retailers. It’s completely free and adds up quickly. You can even link your Upromise account to a Sallie Mae student loan account and use the fund you accumulate to pay down the loan.
35. Textbook 411 Search for textbooks to buy or sell and pay less for the books you need.
36. Bookfinder.com – Bookfinder will also help college students locate textbooks at affordable prices. Search by author, title or ISBN number.
37. Fastweb.com – Look for scholarships and other sources of financial aid with Fastweb. It’s free, but you have to endure several sponsored advertisements along the way.
38. Tuition Coach – Tuition Coach will help students evaluate their college costs, fid funding sources and teach them how to pay less for a college education.
39. Rate My Professors – Once you get to college, you’ll hear horror stories of professors that live to fail students. Find out which professors to avoid by using Rate My Professors. Yes, it’s cruel, but sometimes vital.
40. Book Deal Finder – Book Deal Finder will help you locate books at an affordable price from all over the web. Never pay full price again!
41. U.S. Department of Education: Students – The U.S. Department of Education’s student portal is chock full of reliable information on colleges, financial aid, career options and more. This website is a must no matter how many years you’ve been in college.
42. Student Aid on the Web – Student Aid on the Web is a government sponsored website that will point college students in the right direction to find financial aid and avoid scams. Fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid here.
43. college.gov – Check out all kinds of college degrees and opportunities at this federal government run website designed especially for incoming students. Freshman, don’t discount this site either. You’ll find plenty of information on financial aid, college majors and career options.
44. CollegeBoard: Scholarship Search for StudentsUse CollegeBoard to search for scholarships that interest you or align with your degree, talents or achievements.
45. GPA Calculator – Figure out your GPA or what kinds of grades you need to make to keep your GPA high with this free, easy to figure out calculator. No math major required.
46. RateMyStudentRental.com – Trying to find a place off-campus is hard enough without knowing anything about the place you want to rent from so go on over to Rate My Student Rentals and see what other students had to say about living in apartment complexes, duplexes and other housing near your college.
47. Go Student Rentals – Go Student Rentals will help you find a student-friendly place to live off-campus near your school. Search for living quarters by state, city or college.
48. BookDibs – Put dibs on a book that you need without having to plunk down cash immediately for books you need in the future. You can also list your own textbooks to sell locally. There is no middle man to pay so students can find books very cheap from other students in the same area.
49. StudentRate – Sign up for free at Student Rate and get an ID card that qualifies you for discounts all over the place just for being a college student.
50. CraigsList – Craig’s List is a one stop shop for used furniture, books and just about anything you can imagine for free or cheap. College town listings are busting at the seams with stuff that a college student can use.
51. College Classifieds – Post a classified ad for other college students to see. Choose from categories like textbooks, tutoring, summer jobs, apartments and more. It’s searchable by college and free.
52. eCampus.com – Sell your textbooks online and let eCampus pay for the shipping. After the books are sent to eCampus, you’ll get a check for the agreed upon offer price.
53. Half.com – Find new and used textbooks online at eBay’s Half.com.
54. iChapters.com – iChapters.com will let you browse for books, buy individual chapters, video and audio and offers eTextbooks at 50 percent off.
55. FinAid.org – Find financial aid without the scams at FinAid.org. You can search for grants, loans, scholarships, fellowships and more.
56. Book Burro: The Book Browsing Companion – Look for a book online, then use the Book Burro to find the same book in libraries, book stores and other online retailers. The list will feature information on pricing, availability and other online services without all the searching involved.
57. myEdu – Formerly Pick-A-Prof, myEdu lets students evaluate professors and warn fellow students about nit-picky professors. The new site also lets students design their perfect class schedule, plan a graduation roadmap, track your progress and offers advice on how to save money and time during college. You can sign up for a free three day trial.
Resources, Web Tools and Downloads to Make Studying a Breeze
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58. Study Blue– Study Blue is an online study community for college students to search for notes, quiz themselves on materials and connect with other college students at the same school.
59. MyNoteIt – Take notes online and manage your tasks at the same time for free. At MyNoteIt, you can search your notes and share them with classmates for maximum study coverage.
60. OttoBib – Let OttoBib take the pain out of writing bibliographies. This website will format a bibliography in MLA, APA or Chicago style for free.
61. Bartleby.com – Check Bartleby.com before you run out and buy those required reading novels for Great Books. You may be able to find it here for free.
62. Net Notes This Firefox extension allows you to make notes on websites so you’ll never forget why you needed it and what you looked at while you are browsing.
63. Notefish – Notefish makes researching and planning super simple. Drag and drop and website or page to your Notefish page to save it, organize the information and share it with whoever.
64. EasyBib – EasyBib is another free bibliography and citation service that will keep you from losing precious points on a research paper grade by citing your sources correctly.
65. Free Book Notes.com – If you need a study guide or summary on a literary classic, look no further than Free Book Notes. Search by the titles of the book and go from there.
66. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary – The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary will define even the toughest vocabulary words so you can sound college-educated all the time.
67. Study Barn – Find free study guides and online study groups for big tests like the GMAT at Study Barn
68. Grade Fix – Grade Fix is an online organizer and schedule maker to keep students from forgetting about homework, quizzes and tests to avoid flopping the semester.
69. SpellJax – Paste text from emails or online posts in SpellJax to check your spelling. You may be glad you did one day.
70. Quizlet – Quiz yourself on study materials by making your own quizzes with Quizlet.
71. Questia – The Online Library of Books and Journals – Questia is the largest full-text online library available on the web. It can come in handy when you are researching for big class projects, but a monthly subscription will run you $19.95. Questia does offer a free one day trial.
Goodies for Group Project and Clubs
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72. Zoho Show– Zoho Show 2.0 is an online presentation-making tool that anyone can use and is great for group presentations.
73. Google Presentations – Google Presentations is another presentation tool that can be created and accessed from anywhere. Collaborate easily with a group by making a free joint account.
74. JumpSwap – College Group Management Utility – Jumpswap is a great application for college students in leadership positions that need to organize groups of people an tasks. Members of the group can access group information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
75. Group Table Group Table will make group projects or study groups easier to manage by creating one place to store and share information as well as collaborate on projects.
76. Evernote – Post notes and vital information on Evernote so that everyone will be on the same page without carrying around a huge stack of papers.
77. Thinkature – Thinkature is a great tool for group projects or for idea mapping. It’s free and allows you to collaborate easily with a small or large group of people. Now only if you could get those group slackers to try it.
Bonus Tools and Websites for College Graduation and Career Preparation
- Alumwire – Connect with alumni from your school to help with your post-graduation job search.
- Gradspot.com – Gradspot is a free resource for college graduations that are just stretching their wings in the real world. Be sure to check out the Graduation Guru to get your life after college going in the right direction without a lot of effort.
- CareerOneStop – Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop is a resource for students, job seekers, employers and anyone looking for some good career advice.
- The Career Key – Take a career aptitude test here and evaluate your career options to make a choice you’ll be happy with later down the road in the real world.
- Monster Trak – Monster.com’s Monster Trak is designed especially for entry-level career and job seekers fresh from college and career schools. Begin your search here once you have to start looking for a real job that pays bills. Yuck.
Now that you’ve checked out all the tools to help you succeed during your first year of college without sacrificing your social life, read up on some other interesting web tools that helped this New York Times writer and parent of a college student find the best deals on textbooks.
After that, check out this cool article on how to make the most of cooking and eating in your dorm from a fellow in-room chef.