Resources

Ever wondered what college student resources and tools I use? If so, you’re in the right place!

Below, you’ll find a list of things I’ve found extremely helpful for being successful in college, as well as adulthood. Please note that some of the links may be affiliate links, meaning I will receive a small commission if you purchase something through one of the links. This comes at no cost to you and helps me to continue making Chase the Write Dream even better!

[RELATED] 20 Freebies for College Students

Planners

Action Day Academic Weekly Planner – This was the planner I used to get a 4.0 throughout grad school. The weekdays have hourly schedule slots so that you can keep track of every little detail, from your class times to study breaks. There is also plenty of space for taking notes, designating goals, and writing down accomplishments.

The planner comes in various sizes, so whether you want something smaller or larger, there’s one for you! Pro tip: Write your assignments in the notes place and check them off as you complete them.

Day Designer – With a scheduler, to-do list, checklists, gratitude space, and more, this planner really does have it all. If you want a cheaper version that still packs a lot of options in, consider purchasing a Day Designer for Blue Sky planner. I’ve been using mine for several months and it’s definitely one of the best I’ve had!

Bloom Daily Planner – If you’re looking for something a little more generic with a touch of joy, then I can’t recommend this planner enough. The Bloom Daily Planner is my back up to my regular one with hourly slots and is great for writing down tasks I want to complete each day. As a student, I would use this to keep track of homework assignments and due dates!

To some, using two planners might seem a little overwhelming, but I’ve found that it helped me keep things in line. Ultimately, go with what works for you!

Action Publishing Minimalist Academic Planner – This is perfect for anyone who wants to get straight to the point. The planner has sections for daily to-do lists on top and hourly appointment slots on the bottom. You get the best of both worlds, without all the clutter (I’d recommend putting your classes and meetings in the hourly slots and your daily readings and assignments at the top).

Other unique elements include a periodic table (trust me, you’ll want one handy for your science classes) and a metrics conversion chart.

Law of Attraction Life Planner – Work on increasing your productivity and happiness with this planner. Not only will help you learn to prioritize better, but it also has stickers (who doesn’t love that?) Each day as 30 minute slots – perfect for keeping things straight on those super busy days.

You can also write your goals at the top of each day, as well as your top three priorities (a great place to write down assignments, tests, or meetings you need to pretend). Daily goals lead to long-term goals, so make sure to utilize this space!

College Must-Haves

Laptop Bag

Kindle Fire HD

All Season Comforter

Laptop Sleeve

College Ruled Notebooks in Various Colors

Laptop Portable Desk

Dry Erase Calendar

Saving and Making Money

• Honey – By far one of my favorite money saving tools.  Instant cash back from all your favorite stores online. A quick Chrome browser extension will automatically search for coupons and apply them instantly to your order.
• Ibotta – We all have to buy groceries and other things at the store, so why not get some cash back for it? It’s so easy to scan your receipts and earnings are often credited within minutes!
• Swagbucks – Did you know you can earn money for simply searching the web? You can also get Swagbucks (which can be exchanged for cash and gift cards) for watching video clips, playing games, and completing surveys. Since I know you’re going to surf the web today anyway, you might as well get rewarded for it.
• Ebates – Why I didn’t sign up for this site earlier, I’ll never know. All I can say is that this is probably the easiest way to get money back on my online purchases. You’ll even get a bonus when you sign up and make your first purchase through the site!
• Shareasale.com – If you have any type of social following, you can easily share affiliate links to your friends and earn a commission from each sale that is made.

Tools for Writing Papers

• Google Scholar – Find scholarly resources in a jiffy with Google Scholar. No more sifting through those endless pages of content that your professor won’t accept – Stick with the academic stuff that you know will impress them.
• PurdueOWL – If citations and formatting aren’t listed in your strengths, then this site is for you. I used this for practically every research paper I had to write and found the site to be very informative about how to not only write in-text citations, but references as well.
• Ginger Grammar Checker – Unsure of whether you’re using the right grammar in a sentence? Let Ginger help! Simply type in the text you want to check for grammar errors and click “Ginger It” to get the results.
• Grammarly – It never hurts to triple check your paper for typos! Grammarly offers a free service that is perfect for doing just that.

Student Discounts and Deals

• Amazon Student – Enjoy some of the perks of being an Amazon Prime member by signing up with your school email address. You’ll get free two-day shipping and have the ability to get Prime membership for 50% off when you graduate. This is literally how I got almost all of my textbooks… Amazon is the way to go!
• StudentRate – If a store or company offers a student discount, you’ll be sure to find it here.