5 Things No One Tells You About College (Until It’s Too Late)

Coffee, pizza and late-night library cram sessions are old news, but what about the things no one tells you about your freshman year— things that will help you better manage your time, ace your classes and feel sane come finals? Here are 5 things every freshman should know:

1.Your Grades May be Based on 2 Exams (and nothing more)

A midterm and a final often determine the entirety of your grade in a class (though, depending on the class, a midterm or final could be a paper instead). There probably won’t be any opportunities for extra credit. You need to study and (yes) go to class. Missing lectures and skipping class means you’ll be missing out on valuable material that will inevitably be included on the exam. So go to class!

2. Just Because You Don’t Have Homework Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Need to Study

Without daily homework assignments, it’s easy to put off reading and assignments. However, professors still expect you to keep up with the syllabus and be accountable for assigned reading. You need to study to keep up and stay ahead of the class. Flash cards, study groups, tutoring — find a study method that works for you and then stick with it.

3. You’ll Be Forced to Take Classes You Don’t “Need”

Electives are classes that are not part of your core area of study, and you’re usually required to take a number of electives throughout the year.

The upside is that these classes can give you an opportunity to try something new, and provide a break from your normal course load. Art history? Pottery? Mandarin? Don’t be afraid to try something that’s outside your comfort zone; this is a great time to explore what you’re passionate about.

4. Failing a Class Can Cost You Financially

Nobody wants to fail a class, but flunking a class can not only hurt your moral… it can also impact your financial aid. Not to mention you’ve already spent money to rent or buy textbooks (new semester = new edition) and class enrollment. Plan ahead and get the help you need if you think you’re in danger of failing.

5. Everyone Needs Extra Help In Tough Classes

Even the smartest students get challenged in college. The good new is that there are tons of resources to help you out, so don’t be afraid to ask for help! Tutoring can not only save you from failing a class; it can also provide an opportunity for you to make sure you are on track. No matter what the subject, or the time of day, InstaEDU has online tutors who can help 24/7.

5 Ways to Save Money this School Year

There’s no getting around the fact that college is expensive. Beyond tuition and housing, there are tons of expenses … and when you add them all up, they can cost you thousands of extra dollars that you haven’t budgeted for. But just because college is expensive, that doesn’t mean it should be expensive for you. Here are our top 5 ways to save money on campus this year.

Save money on textbooks by renting instead of buying

If you’re taking five classes and each professor requires that you purchase a textbook, you could easily be out more than $1,000 (just for fall semester!). Instead, rent textbooks from Chegg, where you can save up to $500 on textbooks alone. When you’re done with your books at the end of the quarter or semester, just send them back to Chegg.

Score free food (and get smarter at the same time)

Sick of dining hall food? Can’t stand the sight of another grilled cheese sandwich? Check out the lectures and events that academic departments are sponsoring on campus. Not only do most of them have food at the end (think cheese plates, fresh fruit and the occasional glass of wine), but the lectures themselves are often super interesting and a great way to expose yourself to subjects you’d never take a full class on but are still fascinated to hear more about. Often student groups also have free food at events, so pay attention to those Facebook invites and on-campus flyers, and plan your meals accordingly.

Volunteer to get behind the scenes access to big ticket events

Your school may have national champion athletics teams (hello, Stanford) or may regularly host amazing performances (hi, NYU). At some schools, tickets to campus events are free for students, but at others, admission can get pricey. Want to save your cash and attend live events for free? Volunteering is an easy way to get instant access. Selling tickets, manning the door, working on marketing (i.e. chalking and flyering) are just a few ways you can trade your time for free access.

Leave your car at home

Owning a car is a big expense; not only will you pay for gas, insurance and maintenance, but on many campuses you’ll also need to pay for parking permits (and for the inevitable tickets you get when you don’t pay for the right parking permits…). Yes, it’s convenient to have a car. Is it necessary? On most campuses, not really. Buy a cheap bike, get acquainted with the bus options, and spring for the occasional cab or Lyft. Even occasionally taking a cab will still be cheaper than the total expensive for owning and maintaining a car.

Work with an InstaEDU tutor (or work AS an InstaEDU tutor)

If you look around various departmental bulletin boards, you’ll see students advertising their tutoring services for $30-$50/hour. InstaEDU tutoring is available for just $24/hour, and you don’t need to travel to the library to meet up with your tutor. Feel like an expert yourself? Apply to become an InstaEDU tutor and make $20/hour.

What are some other ways you can save on campus this fall? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Five ways to score cheap textbooks

Photo by Flickr user LifeSupercharger

While college textbooks are still worth only a fraction of their weight in gold, there’s no debate that college textbooks are very pricey.  Doing the research to save money on textbooks can can make a substantial difference in the amount of money you can spend on other expenses like food (or fun). One of the first steps would be to find out if you actually need the textbook, but assuming you do, here are InstaEDU’s top five ways to save on textbooks for the upcoming school year:

Chegg

Chegg is a student hub that provides an outlet for buying textbooks online. It also has a lot more features built into it such as the option to review courses and even pass on advise to the students who are lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to take the course. Plus when you’re done with the course you can even sell your textbook online through Chegg’s platform. Save money upfront… and then earn money on the backside. Sounds like a winning combination!

Amazon Kindle eBooks

Amazon has dominated the eBooks industry with the Kindle and for good reason. Not only is Kindle a competitive hardware product, but the large number of platforms (desktop to mobile) makes it easy to get a virtual textbook and have it sync across all platforms. Plus, if you are one of those people who needs to buy physical textbooks, you can usually find cheap ones on Amazon and use Amazon’s student Amazon Prime service to get 2-day delivery for your textbooks.

Barnes and Noble Nook

Barnes and Noble released their Nook platform to compete with Amazon’s Kindle. While it may not be as wide spread as Amazon’s book-store destroyer, the Nook is another great option for finding cheap textbooks and storing them virtually across multiple devices (e.g. your phone, your Nook, your iPad and your computer).

Half

Half is an eBay company that sells retail items at set prices. There’s no need to worry about bidding here and the prices are still comparable to other textbook websites. If you’re one of the 94% of college students that plan to buy a used textbook, Half is a great place to find one.

CourseSmart eTextbooks

CourseSmart rounds out the list of great textbook providers. It has apps for phones and tablets and an extremely extensive library compared to other services. If you couldn’t find your virtual textbooks on Barnes and Noble or Amazon, chances are, CourseSmart will have it.

Where are you buying textbooks this year?