Whether you’re attending college through distance learning or taking classes on campus, this is a great start to your career. While there may be a few problems here and there, you can always control some aspects to make your college life easier, especially in the area of tech.
Preparing ahead for some common tech issues before you head off for college will save you the trouble that tech issues usually give you.
Here are 10 tech tips for the new college student.
Always Make Back-Ups
There are times when things don’t go according to plan. Unseen mishaps take place, such as you updating your operating system and losing all your important files before a submission.
To save yourself the headache, it is crucial that you create back-ups of your files in other locations, such as Google Docs.
Use Your Smartphone More
With your smartphone, you’ll be able to access your lecture, e-books, shared files, discussion boards, and articles from anywhere. This allows you to utilize commuting times for study sessions.
Whether you’re commuting to college, waiting at the doctor’s clinic, or simply don’t want to open up your laptop, you can look through your lectures right from your smartphone and stay on top of your studies.
This brings us to another tip, which is:
Use Electronic Textbooks
Even though there is nothing compared to reading a good paperback, having your textbooks in electronic form is very handy. You can download the textbook on various devices and read it anywhere.
Moreover, electronic books are also cheaper than paperbacks. You will also be able to annotate and bookmark in an ebook without hassle.
Kami has swiftly risen to the top of the list of online instructors’ favorite tools! Students can use a variety of tools to annotate and manipulate PDF documents. To turn any existing documents into interactive active learning, simply install the application or access it through the web page.
Use Cloud-Based Platforms
Another great resource for college students is cloud-based platforms, especially cloud storage.
Services, such as Dropbox and Evernote provide free accounts and offer encryption while storing and transferring data.
Moreover, you can access your data from anywhere using an internet-connected device and a secure password.
Furthermore, Google also offers great products, such as Docs, Gmail, Sheets, Drive, etc. that allow file storage, security, and transfer.
Use Student Discounts
There are many companies that offer discounts on services, such as software, laptops, iPads, etc. for students. There are also online services, such as Axure that give students free trials as well.
Avail of these resources to save up on your cash for other use. You can always ask for any student discounts when you’re applying for new study resources.
Submit Your Assignments In PDF Form
There will be times when your lecturer will specify the assignment file type. However, when that is not the case, save your files in PDF form and submit them the same.
This allows you to send your file with the fonts, images, and other formatting as you intend. It will prevent formatting issues from popping up while sharing Word documents as well.
Use Proper Grammar In Your Assignments
There is nothing worse than sending your assignments with grammatical mistakes. Using online sources, such as Grammarly, allows you to check spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and even accidental plagiarism. Moreover, Grammarly is cloud-based, so you can log in from any computer and edit your document whenever you want.
Make Outstanding Presentations
As a college student, don’t succumb to lackluster PowerPoint presentations. You can make use of several free resources for video, photography, and sound effects to make your presentations stand out.
These include Videvo.net for video, Incompetech.com for audio, Pixabay, and Pexels for images, and Canva for slides, videos, and design.
Professional templates can help you improve your slide decks. If the theme selections in Presentations or PowerPoint aren’t cutting it for you, check out Slidesgo.com for some stunning infographics and slide decks. You may even get lessons and digital templates from them.
Using these professional resources will help you make a cohesive presentation that engages the audience, conveys your message in its true essence, and gives a good impression.
Adding Source Citation
As a college student, you will also be writing research papers requiring source citation. Instead of wasting your time doing it manually, you can use online resources, such as Citation Machine. You can select the citation style, source format, book name, article, title, etc. and the resource will give you the citation you require. It also allows you to edit and add the missing parts of the citation before submitting it. When you’re ready, simply copy and paste it into the reference list.
Use Online Learning Sources To Shine In College
The study material given by your professor is always helpful. However, you can always go the extra mile and use online learning sources, such as Udemy, Codecademy, Lynda, etc. to gain a wealth of knowledge available online. These sites offer video sources with exercise files that you can complete as per your own feasibility.
These online resources will give you a strong competitive advantage not only in your college but also in your professional life.
A Final Word
This article provides you with 10 great tips in terms of tech that new college students can utilize in their day-to-day lives. These tips range from online resources to manage documents in your devices that will come in handy while taking notes and revising study material for tests and exams. As an option you can always send your “pay someone to do my assignment” request to real experts who will help with your homework online immediately.
Hopefully, you will find these tips to be useful in your education. Moreover, the way you use technology can always be tailored according to your need and comfort level. Identify what things work for you and modify processes along the way to streamline your college education.