Feature – School is in full swing again and if you haven’t done so already, it is about time to review your tech tools. We’ve dug a bit deeper, skipped those laptops, common Google tools such as Google Scholar/Books and USB sticks to find what we believe are 10 essential on- and offline tools for today’s tech savvy student: As you are heading back for class, check our list of applications to say organized and productive.



1. Purchase Microsoft Office for $60 (a 91% discount)

Yes, we are starting with a boring one and could have mentioned free GoogleDocs or Open Office here as well. But let’s get real: Microsoft Office is still much more widely in use than many of us would like and the most convenient way to deal with Microsoft file formats is to own this software. Plus, owning a legal copy of Microsoft Office for use in school offers a wealth of benefits, support, templates, and graphics to utilize in your papers, PowerPoint Presentations, or even your excel spreadsheets for that tough math class. However, Microsoft Office is expensive, and often times not affordable for the average student. Also, pirating is illegal. But if you have an .edu email address, you can take advantage of “the Ultimate Steal”, a Microsoft student promotion offering the entire Office suite for $60.


2. Get Your Cliffs Notes Online

Litsum.com offers students an array of both literature summaries and study guides. Included in their offerings are full chapter summaries, analysis, topics for discussions, style, quotes, character analysis, and themes. All of these items are offered entirely for free. The website offers both the classics and modern literature, so more than likely you will be able to find exactly which book you are seeking.


3. OpenDisc Free Open Source Programs

OpenDisc offers students a variety of open source software (OSS) for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The project aims to provide free alternatives to expensive software that has either equal or better quality equivalents to its paid- versions available on Windows.  Among them are programs used for graphic design, gaming, internet navigation, email clients, multimedia software, productivity, and utility. You can download all or parts of the software programs offered. Best of all, it’s free.
 

4. Share your Notes with Peers

Notemesh is free service that allows college students taking the same classes to share their notes with other classmates. Notemesh works by creating a wiki for each individual class that can be edited by different users. Users can then post their own lecture notes, or simply contribute to, notes that are currently posted.
University Notes offers a similar service that allows students to communicate, share information with one another, and keep in touch. Students can rate their teachers, and keep their academic life completely organized using this great web based application.


5. Save Money on Text Books

University is already expensive as it is. Heading to your campus bookstore with your book list can put an even larger dent in your wallet. That is why it is necessary to know where to locate the best discounts.  The best idea is to use a comparison search to find your book for cheap.  Bigwords.com offers students the ability to save almost 35% on their textbooks.

Another option for cheap textbooks is textbook rental. Chegg.com offers students the ability to rent their textbooks for a semester, thus saving them 50% off the total cost, and the ability to return them, and not clutter your bookshelves with something you’ll never pick up again.

Read on the next page: Bibliographies, taking notes and staying organized