Category: College


Jan
2017

My Favorite Resources For College Students

categories: College

Welcome to a new semester!

Here are my favorite resources for college students.

resources for college students

Favorite Resources for College Students: Buying, Selling and Renting Books

chegg.com: I used chegg for the first time last semester to rent 2 textbooks. I saved hundreds of dollars and would definitely use them again! It was super easy to order my books and they sent me online trials of them so that I could start reading before the books reached me. Returning the books was just as easy. They give you a due date for return and you can print the return label from their website – free of cost. If you need to keep the books a little longer there is a fee so make sure you return them on time!
half.com and ebay.com: These were my go-to places in the past to order textbooks. I have found so many great deals and saved hundreds of dollars on books by searching these two websites for textbooks.
amazon: I have ordered textbooks from amazon several times in the past. I like that I can usually find any textbook that I need – sometimes at great prices.
ecampus: I haven’t personally used ecampus, however, I have heard great things about the prices from several other college students.
bigwords.com: I just discovered this website last semester and had never heard of it but I thought I would add it in there if you want to check it out.

Favorite Resources for College Students: Paying for school & books – Financial Aid, Grants and Scholarships

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): Offers financial assistance through grants, loans and work-study funds.
Sallie Mae/ Navient: You normally have to go through your school for loans through them, however, they also have scholarship information on their website as well.
Your college
+ Their website and social media: A little search can give you a wealth of information.
+ Financial Aid Office: Get to know your Financial Aid Officer/Counselor and know them well. They will hook you up!
+ Bulletin Boards: Check out the boards around campus – you can sometimes find scholarship opportunities that you didn’t even know existed.
+ Clubs: If you are in a club on campus ask if there are any scholarships or grants that the officers know of.
+ Classmates: I often find out about scholarships from other classmates so if you have some fellow students that you feel comfortable talking to – bring it up in conversation.
+ Your Job: Many companies offer scholarships, grants and other financial resources if you are working towards a degree (especially if it is in the field that you are currently in).

Favorite Resources for College Students: Music for Studying

Focus at will
Coffevity: If you like the “buzz” of coffee houses you will LOVE this website.
Pandora: I like to listen to their Classical stations sometimes.
Youtube: You can search and create your own study playlists.

Favorite Resources for College Students: Studying & Learning Resources

Khan Academy: They offer FREE practice exercises and instructional videos on hundreds of different topics. Helped me significantly with a statistics course! Also great if you just want to learn some new information or brush up on a topic.
BioDigital: Want to learn more about the human anatomy? How does 3D simulation sound? You can check out all the different parts of the body and learn more about what is going on inside.
Blackboard: Tons of great resources and valuable information.
Crash Course (youtube videos): Great videos to learn about different topics from History to Psychology. Most of the videos are 10 minutes or less and there are also playlists if you want to learn more about something.

Favorite Resources for College Students: Productivity

ToDoist

Favorite Resources for College Students: Team/Group Projects and Collaborations

Slack: leaves all messages so others can read them
Trello: you can add ideas, links, pictures and more. set dates, view calendar.
Google Hangouts: Great for video conference calling.
Google Drive: Great for collaborating and working on projects. My last group project used this and it was so great because we could all work on the project at the same time, there is a chat feature as well.

Favorite Resources for College Students: File Storage

Whether you are looking for a place to file your assignments, syllabus, pictures or anything else I suggest that you always have a backup stored somewhere besides your computer or flash drive. Just imagine working hours and hours on a paper and your dog knocks coffee onto your laptop ruining it.
Dropbox: If you need a FREE online space to store all of your assignments, pictures, files and so on, Dropbox is the place to do it. You can also share files. It has computer/laptop/tablet and mobile access.

Favorite Resources for College Students: Google Drive: If you have a google account/gmail account you should be taking advantage of Google Drive. Some schools even offer it as a part of your student account.

More Favorite Resources for College Students

Ibotta: Check out Ibotta to get cash back when you shop at your favorite grocery stores. Use my referral code, bgfbcpf, and you can earn an extra $10. Sign up at Ibotta.com
Amazon Prime: “Getting an Amazon Student membership has been one of the best things I have done recent., you already receive:
FREE Two-Day Shipping with no minimum order size on millions of items. Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access. 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon, and new events on MyHabit.com. Update now to get Amazon Prime for only $49/year (normally $99/year) and also enjoy:
Unlimited, instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Instant Video.
Thousands of books to borrow for free, as frequently as once a month, with no due dates through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Access to over a million songs and hundreds of playlists, ad-free.”

My favorite college bloggers
Dani Dearest
Sara Laughed

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Powered by MailChimp


Dec
2016

Flashback Friday’s: End of The Semester Edition

categories: College, Flashback Friday's, Her

Dear Fellow College Students,
You can take a deep breath.
I am hoping that you had a great semester and that all of your papers, presentations and finals are turned in and no longer something on your to do list. You have done all that you could have possibly done (hopefully) to make this a successful semester.

*Cheers to you and high five if you are a graduating Senior*

You made it to the end of the semester! It is time to enjoy the Winter Break.

flashback fridays hertaintedlips

This semester was actually a fairly “easy” one for me compared to some of the more recent ones that I have had. Mainly because I enjoyed the courses and Professors that I had. It was full of great information and great people to share and learn it with. Even though my life was all turned upside down I was able to finish the semester fairly unscathed. I am super excited for next semester (and scared out of my mind) because I am taking my two Senior Projects and will be graduating (finally).

I only had 2 courses this semester and they were both online. One actually ended back in September so I am happy that I had about 2 months of just having 1 course to deal with. I’m so happy that they were online because when I went to Georgia while my Dad was hospitalized and after he passed away I think I would have had to drop the course since I was away for so long. Online courses aren’t for everyone, however, they can sometimes be a huge blessing.

I am proud of myself for getting through this semester even while I felt like the world was crumbling beneath my feet. My college career has a been a long journey and I will write about it more on a separate occasion because there are some topics I want to touch on that would do better in a different post. I will probably work on that during the winter break.

I am currently working on a post of resources for college students – it has been sitting in my draft folder since last semester – and it will be posted at the beginning of next semester so be sure to be on the lookout for that. I feel like I had so many more resources to share so I wanted to go back and edit it a bit more before I launch it out to the interwebs.

If you haven’t had time to go shopping for others make sure you check out my gift guides and be sure to check out this post featuring Companies That Give Back When You Make A Purchase This Season.

Thank you so much for stopping in and I hope to chat with you soon.

What are your plans for the Winter Break? Let us know in the comments.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Powered by MailChimp


Dec
2016

Gift Guide: Gift Ideas For College Students

categories: College, Shopping

Hello there! Happy Holidays. Are you still looking for gift ideas for the college student(s) in your life? Well here is a list of gift ideas for college students that I came up with as well as some stocking stuffer ideas as well.

I hope you find this gift guide useful.

This post includes affiliate links.
gift guide for college students

Gift Ideas For College Students

Gift Ideas For College Students – Stocking Stuffers

  • Ear Buds: You can never have enough ear buds! To drown out the noise of roommates (and strangers on the bus that want to talk to you) or to enjoy some relaxing sounds while at the library – a set of ear buds is always comes in handy.
  • Portable phone charger: These come in handy all the time. Late night study sessions at the library, trips on the bus or long days at school can drain your phone battery – give them a gift that will keep their phone charged throughout the day.
  • Walmart Gift Cards: Whether they live at home, on their own or in a dorm they are going to need items for school. From supplies to room decor and everything in between there is something for everyone.
  • Gift cards to their favorite food places. Or even a Starbucks Gift Card
  • Office supplies: There are hundreds of options to choose from. Think printer ink, their favorite pens.
  • Amazon Gift Cards: Amazon has thousands and thousands of items to choose from and if they already have a Subscription to Amazon Student they can enjoy the benefits of free 2-day shipping as well.

Before you even start shopping online I recommend that you sign up for ebates. It is free to sign up and you can get special savings and cash back at many of the online stores you already shop at. To make it easier also install the ebates Chrome extension and log on to your account. When you are shopping online it will alert you of cashback and deals that are available at that website and all you have to do is activate it.
Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

What other gift ideas for college students would you recommend? Let us know in the comments

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Powered by MailChimp


Aug
2016

August Back to School Deals

categories: College

Can you believe it is August already? I swear this summer went by in a flash – sneeze again and it is going to be Christmas. Alright, alright, alright… I don’t want to give you anxiety. HA! Any who, going to school – whether it is for a child or an adult comes with some money-sucking expenses at times. From supplies to clothes and for college students $100+ textbooks it can be a lot. As a college student myself, I cringe every semester thinking about the money I dish out for different supplies and textbooks which is what inspired me to write this post.

Just because public school started that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great deals out there to take advantage of. Whether you are the parent or guardian of a school-aged kid or a college student yourself, here are some of the great deals that I found around the web and just had to share.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you choose to purchase a product or service I may get a small commission (at no additional cost to you.) Any product or service listed here are items I have either purchased and/or personally recommend.

Supplies

Textbooks & Studying Tools

  • Amazon: As a fellow college student I know that the cost of textbooks can be extremely expensive which is why I always check online for prices to see if I can get a better deal. I have ordered several textbooks for different courses via Amazon and have never been disappointing. How does saving up to 80% on Textbooks sound? You can choose from new, used and select eTextbooks. They have a huge selection to choose from so make sure you check it out to see if you can get your textbooks at a better price. Make sure to read the details to make sure it comes with any access codes that some courses require for online access.

    [Additional bonus: Sign up for Amazon Prime Student for FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items, unlimited photo storage, FREE Kindle book rentals and more. Amazon Prime Student is a $50 savings off of the regular Amazon Prime subscription.]

    Click here to see how you can save 20% or more off of back to school essentials with Amazon

  • Chegg: Not only can you buy, rent and sell books, you can also get assistance in studying on Chegg. They offer study tips, test prep assistance and tutoring. Check out their current deals:
    – Get 30 Minutes for Free Tutoring. Try it now!
    – 50% off the 1st month of Chegg Study. Use Coupon code: CSAF50OFF15 Disclaimer: New Chegg Study users receive a $7.50 discount off the first month of a Chegg Study subscription. Discount expires on 08/8/2016. Offer valid on a monthly or yearly subscription. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Valid for one-time use only. Limit one coupon per person. No cash value.
    – 25% off the 1st month of Chegg Study. Use coupon code: CSAF25OFF15 Disclaimer: New Chegg Study users receive a $3.75 discount off the first month of a Chegg Study subscription. Discount expires on 8/31/2016. Offer valid on a monthly or yearly subscription. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Valid for one-time use only. Limit one coupon per person. No cash value.

  • eCampus: This is the place to go to rent, buy and sell your textbooks this year. They have several different deals that are good until the end of the year. Aside from hard copy books they also offer select books in eTextbook format. Here are the current deals that they are offering:
    – Use coupon code ’10OFF150′ for $10 off orders over $150 and receive free shipping at eCampus.com
    – Use coupon code ‘ECAMPUS5’ for $5 off orders of $100 or more and receive free shipping.
    – Use coupon code ‘ECAMPUS3’ for $3 off orders of $60 or more.

Clothing & Accessories

  • Old Navy: Their back to school sale is currently offering 60% off Kids Styles, however, they continuously offer different savings so check to see what other additional savings they have available.


  • Target: Don’t you hate when you go purchase something and you can’t find the size that you need? Well my sister and I ran into that problem when we went shopping for school shoes for my niece and nephew – apparently every child in the area wears the same size lol. So what do you do when you see something you like but can’t find the size in the store? Look it up online of course. We were able to find the sizes we wanted as well as other styles of shoes and clothes for the kids. Target is having some great deals right now:
    – Kids Back to School: Spend $50 on Clothes and Shoes, save $10. Valid 7/31-8/6

    – Shop Kids + Spend $25, Get Free Shipping on Select at Target.com

  • Warby Parker: Now this may not be a “deal”, however, if you are looking for a new pair of glasses for this school year, Warby Parker helps you to be fashionable while doing something good for someone else as well. Pick from one of their absolutely gorgeous frames and for every pair sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need. I remember being in school for the first time with my new glasses – I had no idea that the world was so “clear” because I was so used to not wearing glasses. Purchase a pair for you or your child and give someone in need the opportunity be able to “see clearly” as well. What’s also cool (besides their frames and the opportunity to give back) is that you can select 5 frames and test them out for 5 days to see which one you like best. How fun is that?

For Fun

  • Kiwi Crate: If you’re into subscription boxes, Kiwi Crate is the box you buy for your favorite little one. They have different crates for all age ranges with different activities and projects for them. They are currently offering 30% off select boxes.

Misc

  • eBates: If you do a lot of shopping online I just have to remind you to join eBates. Once you go ahead and sign up for an eBates account install their Chrome extension for your browser. This magical extension will tell you if a store you are shopping online with has any cash back or coupon offers – often ones that you wouldn’t even know about without the eBates browser. Activate the offer and you will be on your way to getting cash back for things you would normally purchase.

Buy.com (dba Rakuten.com Shopping)

Any other Back to School deals that you know about? Feel free to share them in the comments!

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Powered by MailChimp


Apr
2016

Flashback Fridays: 1 + a = Lemonade

categories: College, Flashback Friday's, Her

Aloha

Can you solve for a? I’m kidding. My brain has been scrambled lately – much like the title of this post.

As you may have guessed by the lack of posts lately – I have been hella busy. Between getting extremely sick and trying to pass all of my classes lets just say I am pooped. This semester has been a rough one with so many setbacks and I am just barely holding on by a tiny little thread. Next week is our last week of classes before finals. I cannot wait to take that last exam and say hello to summertime which includes visits from family members over the next couple of months and my birthday (July 10th – mark your calendars).

flashback fridays hertaintedlips

College Life

As I write this I am taking a break from studying – I just really needed to step away and do some writing. I have a college algebra exam in a couple of hours and wanted to do a couple of practice problems again. I like to step away from what I am studying and do something enjoyable and then go back to it again. Taking a nap is also good as well.

The past 2 weeks have really been spent studying concepts, dealing with algebraic expression and writing papers. Lots of late nights and early mornings but I know it will all be worth it in the end. After this semester I have 2 more semesters before I graduate with my Bachelor’s degree. I simply cannot wait – there has been a lot of bumps in the road on my journey there so I look forward to walking across that stage and receiving my diploma.

Blog Life

I haven’t really had the time (or energy) to put into blogging like I have wanted to. I have a ton of drafts just waiting to get worked on for all of the websites that I am a part of and I promise way more posts over the summer months since I won’t have my head in a book or logged on to an online course.

Work Life

Work has actually been a great “distraction” from college. HA! We have been super busy with taking care of something that is due ASAP but it is not something that is usually a big part of my job so it has been exciting to do something a little different this time. Our company has some exciting projects in the works so I look forward to growing and learning even more with them. I just made 1 year here this month and I can’t believe it has been that long already. I feel like I just got interviewed a couple months ago.

I completed my part of the writing project I was previously working on and was blessed to get another opportunity from the same people to do something a little different with them. I am excited about where this is going as I get to write – which I enjoy doing – and get paid for it – which makes it even more enjoyable! Still not sure about sharing income from blogging and writing gigs online but I will think about it over the summer.

I hope that you had a wonderful week and have a beautiful weekend. If you are going to be in town this summer please let me know – we should get together for drinks.

P.S. Y’all gonna watch Beyonce’s “Lemonade” special on HBO?

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Powered by MailChimp


Jan
2016

Flashback Friday’s – New Adventures

categories: College, Flashback Friday's, Her

Happy Friday! I hope that you had a wonderful week and that everything is doing great for you! Can you believe we are already halfway through January? Is 2016 about to speed by like 2015 did? I sorta hope it doesn’t because this year I have a lot of things going on and some of them I want to take my time one – I will get into that in another post – for now I will share just a few of the things that happened in my life this past week.

flashback fridays hertaintedlips

I moved
Last weekend we packed up a truck with all of my belongings and drove 45 minutes away to my new studio. It was a major workout because it is an old building and we had to go up and down 3 flights of stairs. We somehow made it out alive – my legs felt like jello but I also felt like I had a great workout. Let’s just say I didn’t have gym day until a few days later. I am excited about this new adventure, in a new place but nervous at the same time. I think it will be good for me and one of the cool things about it is that I now live just a 10 minute ride from work. I love it because I can wake up at the same time, but get other things done in the morning – like reading, blogging and so on. Very cool.

I started a new semester
Like most college students around the nation, a new college semester started for me on Monday. I am currently enrolled in one College Algebra course and my other courses are all Psychology courses (my Major is Psychology.) This should be a good semester and I am so happy that I am getting closer to finishing my degree. I was dreading taking another math course, however, I am already enjoying the Professor I have and I think I may actually enjoy the course because of this.

Other happenings
I am currently working on a ton of posts – one is a post about some of my favorite college resources so be sure to check back for that. Make sure you sign up for my mailing list so that you can get new posts directly in your inbox. Or follow me on Twitter to interact with me and you can find out about my new posts there as well.

I hope that you have a beautiful weekend! I plan on finishing putting my place together and getting some much needed rest. What do you have planned for the weekend?

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Powered by MailChimp

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial