🔥🚒 Clever Hacks for Students - Survive and Thrive
While going to school, earning certifications, working full-time as an EMT in LA County, and managing other commitments, I had to be as efficient and productive as possible. Through experience (and plenty of trial and error), my peers and I discovered some essential hacks to navigate school while juggling everything else. Here’s a solid list of strategies I used, and found helpful.
Wifi
Spend money on good Wifi for your place, it's worth the reduction in frustration.
Make a LinkedIn
Although this isn't utilized a ton for First Responders, you never know where the industry will go or where you will go down the line. It's free, won't take you a lot of time, and it's good to start building your network when you're in school.
Student Health Center
Take advantage of the student health center. Most colleges have affordable healthcare services great for basic checkups, cold medicine, etc.
Educational Resources
You’re already paying for college, use every resource available! Use the free tutoring, writing centers, and academic advisors that the school provides.
Use Office Hours!
Seems lame but in reality the people that are lame are the ones that are adding years to school because they keep retaking classes. There's no need to do it for every class, but if it's a difficult class, I would highly recommend it. Professors also love it when students engage with them outside of just class hours. They often provide valuable advice, mentorship, and networking opportunities. I still talk to some of my old professors who continue to help me with all sorts of different things.
Join Clubs
It might seem nerdy, but once you leave college, access to free educational resources becomes limited.
Many of them can lead to job opportunities right after school, and you’d be surprised at the networking opportunities they provide.
Avoid Paying Interest
Pay off student loans aggressively if possible.
Avoid credit card debt.
Consider income driven repayment plans for student loans.
Apps to Get
Get Lyft in addition to Uber, a lot of the time it's less expensive.
Download all the Google apps (docs, drive, slides, and mail).
Food apps for the rewards (Chipotle, Panda Express, etc).
GasBuddy for gas savings (finds the cheapest gas near you).
Moving
For furniture go to a Goodwill store, often they have some pretty decent used desks, nightstand, coffee table, etc. Also use Facebook marketplace and OfferUp.
For kitchen items, cleaning supplies, school supplies, and more go to the Dollar Tree first. You would be surprised what you can find there.
Things to Keep in Your Car
Flashlight, jumper cables, extra phone charger, blanket, towels, multi-tool or basic tool kit, and a tire pressure gauge.
Create Daily, Monthly, and Yearly Objectives
This is a huge help in staying on track. Apps like Notability, the Notes app, and GoodNotes are great options.
Favorite Certain Photos for Convenience
Information you will frequently need includes: Driver's License, other IDs, license plate number, car insurance, medical, dental, other insurance policies, and car registration.
Discounts
Spotify offers a 50% discount.
SheerID (Used by companies to verify students and provide exclusive discounts).
Student Beans (Provides student discounts on major brands across various categories).
UNiDAYS (Offers student discounts on fashion, tech, food, travel, and more).
Phone discounts: AT&T, Verizon, and other offer phone plan discounts
Plan your Class Schedule Carefully
This is probably the most important day of your quarter/semester. A great schedule or a really bad schedule can highly affect how your next few months will go. Do NOT just sign up for random classes. A few days before your enrollment date, map out an ideal schedule that works with your commitments (work, extracurriculars, personal life). Always have backup options (2 or 3) in case your desired classes fill up.
Use it, but don’t rely on it blindly. If a professor has a lot of reviews the ratings are likely reliable. However, if there are only a few reviews, take them with a grain of salt. A mix of student feedback, syllabi reviews, and personal research works best.
Rent your textbooks Instead of Buying
Sometimes you can find free PDFs or online resources instead of paying at all.
Sometimes, buying is the better option if you can sell it later
Consider Once a Week Classes
If available, these can be more efficient since professors often end them early, even if scheduled for 2+ hours.
Grants
Apply for as many student grants as possible.
They aren’t always easy to find, but I discovered many by asking my professors.
Attending other schools
This strategy is especially useful if you're pursuing a degree like an AS or BS. Many programs require general education or specific prerequisite courses. If the class schedule at your school doesn’t work for you or you prefer a different professor, you may have the option to take the course elsewhere.
Always check with your academic counselor to ensure the credits will transfer before enrolling in a course at another institution. Many of these classes are available online, making it a convenient way to save time.
The process: apply to the other school as a non-degree student, enroll in the course on time, and once you complete it, transfer the credits to your primary institution, usually through a platform like Parchment. Your counselor should guide you through the transfer process to ensure everything goes smoothly.