Player 2 Presents "Back 2 School" Essentials Guide

As college students, we are totally familiar with the struggles that come with education. Together we have come up with a quick list that we think will help reduce that stress as well as the coming workloads you may face this semester. Feel free to add in the comments some of your tips on how to make things a bit easier for students!

Microsoft Office Essentials On the Go

Microsoft Word

Why not catch up on some homework or get a head start on that important paper during your down time away from a computer? Using this app, you have access to the ever popular MS Word on your cellphone or tablet, allowing for easy typing on the go. I always do my editing and proofreading on the big screen, but this app is always helpful for getting work done while out and about.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.word

Office Lens

This is the future of note taking. With a sample picture, Office Lens converts white board text, documents, and other pictures into crisp files. Note taking can be rough for many students, and if you are like us you can't always read your own writing. When a professor allows it, you should take the opportunity to use this ground breaking app as much as possible.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.officelens

One Note

Managing multiple classes can be hectic. Stay on track with those due dates by using apps like One Note. Get organized and make check lists in accordance with your upcoming goals. I like to add notes for big projects when I spark an idea on the go.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.onenote

Entertainment for the Busy Soul

Fallout Shelter

Fallout Shelter is one of the best mobile games I have played in a long time. Its the perfect sim game to catch up on in-between classes and does not require your undying attention. Best of all is that it is free. Check out the full review here.

Spotify Premium 
Very important when paired with a good set of headphones. Premium allows you to download music to playlists while on wifi and take your music with you when not connected. This comes in handy walking from class to class. Spotify now has premium for students which is only 5 bucks. Definitely worth it!

Student Perks and Savings

Amazon Student

If you are familiar with the benefits of Amazon Prime, they are all present here. Better yet, Amazon Prime students get six months of 2 day shipping free when they first sign up, and can continue their prime status for half the cost at only $49 annually. Budget wise students will want to take full advantage of this, all you need is an active .edu email to be eligible. Amazon Student

College ID Benefits

If you got it flaunt it. Don't be afraid to ask if places offer student discounts. Many do, but do not heavily advertise it. Some discounts are local only so they are subject to availability, but places like movie theatres and restaurants near campuses offer incentive for being a student.

Every Penny Counts

GrubHub

There are many different delivery order style apps that differ from campus to campus but majority of college towns have some sort of delivery service which can come in handy when you're not able to drive or just don't feel like leaving. For a few extra bucks they'll deliver straight to your door! Also they usually have great discounts on these apps. Download here

Books and Materials

 Book wise I almost always try to wait for the first week to pass to figure out what actual books you need and I always try to avoid the school bookstore. Compare prices to the school store as well as places like chegg.com or Amazon.com. Some will give you discounts on rentals or even used books. Something else to keep in mind is ebay.com. You can usually get stuff fairly cheap compared to big box stores. Especially for those expensive calculators ebay.com usally has them cheaper!

Online Tools and Resources

EasyBib

Citing sources is a task that many, like ourselves, are not perfect at. If you want to get it done quickly and done right, head over to Easybib.com. They pull sources from multiple outlets and organize them in various styles to fit your needs. The offer additional options when accessed from certain university domains, and they even have an app!

Graphing Calculator


As we mentioned before, calculators can get costly. Doing a simple search online many times can lead you to free ones like this. The internet sure can be a lifesaver.

Online Libraries

Access to some books is not always available, especially at short notice. Check out Questia and other similar digital libraries to see if they have what you need before purchasing a physical copy. Also search for some of your texts books in pdf format (example: Writing Reviews: An Introduction PDF). You may find that a student who knows the struggle of book prices has taken the time to post a free copy of that book you are looking for.


As we said before, feel free to post your tips and ideas in the comments! We may update the list with yours, creating a better resource for everyone! Thanks for reading and best of luck to all the students out there in the coming semester!

Sincerly,
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