Going to college is both nerve-wracking and exciting. It can be sad to leave old friends and memories behind but great to look forward to new memories. Even though it can be overwhelming, with these hacks you’ll be comfortable in college in no time.
Figure out the best way to take notes
Some people prefer a book per subject they will take but this creates back pain faster than sleeping on a bed of nails. In order to avoid an aching back try keeping one book with removable pages for all subjects and filing the notes at the end of the day. Keeping notes organised is so helpful for revision as hours upon hours won’t be spent looking for notes that are crumpled-up or in the wrong place. It creates a stress-free exam period as preparations starts from the moment you step into class.
Use an online document editor
Gone are the days of high school with forgotten homework and rushed projects. Using an online service like Google Drive on Microsoft Onedrive is not only free, but it is a great way to keep loads of documents without filling up the memory of a laptop or physically printing them out to keep for later on. When there’s a break in classes just go to the library and work on that essay without carrying a laptop around or having to wait. If something needs to be printed immediately for class, simply find a computer and print away. For collaborative projects share the documents with friends easily – the more its used, the more helpful it gets.
Grammarly
An untapped goldmine of help with any project that requires words makes Grammarly essential for college students. It’s another free resource that helps with anything from word documents to essays and will pick up any mistakes made. Documents can be uploaded to Grammarly’s site or it can be installed as an add-on to browsers, so it’s extremely accessible and easy to use. It also picks up way more errors than that of traditional word programmes and helps by giving your text an overall score for clarity and grammar. Hence, making it easy to predict how others might see the finished product.
Google Scholar
As if the internet couldn’t be more helpful! Google Scholar is an amazing way to find reputable sources for research papers or essays. A hatred for Wikipedia is common to colleges across the world, so to find sources that will be helpful and lengthen the bibliography at the end of any essay, just use Google Scholar. Once a source has been found make sure to use the PDF version so as not to have to pay extra on academic sites or buy a whole book. All results on Google Scholar have been fact-checked so no untrue information will weasel its way into your academic essay. It works just like the original search engine, so be sure to check it out.
Keep a calendar
Whether it’s the phone app or physical calendar, keeping time managed down to the day is so important. Keeping a calendar will help so as not to let due dates get the best of your college experience. It also helps to plan for breaks, holidays, and birthdays. An even better idea is to keep the calendar organised by colour with warm colours being the most important dates and cool colours for less important ones.
