College is all about learning, and if you plan on doing well, one of the first things to learn is how to be efficient. Thankfully, there are some really great websites out there which can save college students loads of time. We’ve broken these websites down into two lists: the first one are tools to help you find resources which you could use for research assignments; the second list is full of websites which can serve other miscellaneous needs you may run into as a student. . 

10 Websites for Researching Useful Resources:

Some of these websites allow you to directly access academic content, while some may just help you explore what’s available for purchase. Although a few of these websites are more useful than others, certain ones may work better for you depending on your topic of interest. Also, make sure you are only obtaining sources legally. Certain websites may upload digital copies of books to the internet without the permission of the copyright owner. 

1.) Google Scholar

Website: scholar.google.com

2.) Google Books

Website: books.google.com

3.) Internet Public Library

Website: ipl.org

4.) Library of Congress

Website: loc.gov

5.) Worldcat

Website: worldcat.org

6.) Research Gate

Website: researchgate.net/search 

7.) Internet Archive

Website: Archive.org

8.) Mendeley

Website: mendeley.com

9.) Overdrive / Libby

Website: overdrive.com/apps/libby

10.) Project Gutenberg

Website: Gutenberg.org 

10 Other Useful Websites for College Students

This list is especially for students of the Institute, as the Institute already utilizes certain technological aids to help their students maintain efficiency. The populi website already organizes assignments and can send you notifications, so in case you’re schooling somewhere that doesn’t use a website like this, getting an assignment tracker could also be helpful. A dictation typing tool would also be helpful, but thankfully the Institute utilizes Otter to transcribe the lectures to make note taking and reviewing so much easier. Apart from an assignment organizer and a digital transcribing tool, here are some other cool websites which you may find useful. 

1.) Print What You Like

Website: printwhatyoulike.com

What is it?

 Print-what-you-like helps you take web pages that you want printed and allows you to easily edit it so that you only print the parts of the webpage that you want. It can help save you time, paper, and ink.

2.) I Love PDF

Website: ilovepdf.com

What is it? 

I love PDF lets you do just about anything you could think of with a pdf. Need to combine multiple pdf’s into one? Want to turn a pdf into an editable document? Need to quickly add page numbers to a pdf? It can almost do anything with a pdf, which can be a big help for people who use them a lot. 

3.) Accela Reader: An Iris reading Productivity Tool

Website: accelareader.com

What is it? 

Accela reader helps you read at the pace you want. Input your digital text, type in how many words you want on the screen at one time, and how many words per minute you want to read. This can help train you to become a faster reader, which can make all the difference in college. 

4.) Copyleaks

Website: copyleaks.com

What is it? 

Copyleaks lets you check your work for plagiarism. Even if it is unintentional, plagiarism could get you into some serious academic trouble. Check your work to make sure you didn’t accidentally write too similarly to your sources. Grammarly and other grammar websites often have a free plagiarism checker as well. 

5.) My Bib

Website: mybib.com

What is it? 

It helps you write bibliographies. Even just by typing in the title of a book, it can help you formulate the correct citation needed. For those who always get befuddled by the order and info needed for citations, then MyBib.com may be the help you’ve been looking for. 

6.) Cheatography

Website: cheatography.com

What is it? 

Don’t worry, it’s not actually cheating. Cheatography just provides people with loads of great study sheets on a large variety of topics. The topics range from your typical school classes to even practical home knowledge. We’re sure you’ll find something useful there. 

7.) 10 Minute Mail

Website: 10minutemail.net

What is it? 

Hate giving out your email address just to get a free pdf or to test out whether or not signing up for a website is worth it? 10 Minute Mail has the solution. They can create short term email addresses you can use for times when an email address is required, but you don’t want to use your good one. 

8.) Thriftbooks

Website: thriftbooks.com

What is it? 

Need books but don’t like the hefty price tags? Thriftbooks may be the godsend you were waiting for. Whether you are buying used books for a fraction of the price or trying to get some money back for the price you paid for other ones, this website may be the place for you. However, there are a few other similar websites which may suit your needs even better. But if your budget is tight, then look for secondhand book websites to save some money. 

9.) Brainscape

Website: brainscape.com

What is it? 

Brainscape is one of a handful of digital flashcard websites/apps. Flashcards are a great way to lock down new information, and they can help you become aware of what you do and do not know. There are plenty of flashcard websites and apps, so if this one isn’t your favorite, then check out some others to see which one is best for you. 

10.) One Look Dictionary Search

Website: onelook.com

What is it? 

Yes, it’s a dictionary, but there’s more. Onelook makes it easy to search for words. Whether you write the definition and it gives you words, or you write in

Bonus: 3 Useful  Student Apps: 

1.) Alarmy

Maybe you stayed up most the night writing a paper for your 8:00 am class, but you didn’t wake up until 9:30 am because you unknowingly turned off your alarm. Or you had to work overtime the night before and were too weary to remember you pushed the snooze button 25 times and are now late for your next shift. If these experiences are familiar, then Alarmy is for you. It gives you commands you have to fulfill before it lets you turn off the alarm.  

2.) Habitica

Habitica is a productivity app with a fun twist. Its video-game theme allows you to design your character, win coins for succeeding on your to-do list, and use those coins to buy items for your character. For those who get bored by other productivity apps, this one could be a refreshing change. 

3.) Office Lens

This app allows you to take a picture of handwritten notes, receipts, or from a presented slide-deck, and then converts it into editable text. What a time saver! There are other apps like this out there as well, so choose what works best for you and your device. 

Sources: 

“200 Most Useful Websites for College Students.” Laptop Study. (visited 24 April 2023).

https://laptopstudy.com/200-most-useful-websites-for-college-students/ 

“10 Best Study Apps for Students.” London School of Economics and Politics. (visited 24 April 2023).

https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/Assets/Articles/10-best-apps-for-students