Learn how to – 8 Platforms That Will Save You a Headache in College

Learn how to – 8 Platforms That Will Save You a Headache in College.

Do you feel overwhelmed with your academic responsibilities? The chances are, you are just not using all the resources that can make your life as a student easier! Meanwhile, there are quite a lot of them out there. 

Today, we’re going to provide you with a list of the essential platforms which will save you a headache in college. Read on! 

1. Wikipedia

While everyone knows that Wikipedia cannot be used as a reliable source of reference, this platform still remains one of the most popular sites on the Internet. The reason is obvious: it’s accessible, and it’s being updated regularly. 

So, if your essay requirements say that you mustn’t use Wikipedia, keep in mind that it means you shouldn’t reference it. Still, you can look for information there, and then trace it back to the original source. If that site is credible, meaning, peer-reviewed – feel free to add that to your reference list.

2. YouTube

This is another highly popular platform that you probably haven’t thought of as being potentially useful for your studies. However, YouTube is also perfect as the primary reference source as it’s easy and convenient, and contains a vast amount of information on practically any topic.

Apart from that, it’s more reliable than Wikipedia if you use the right channels – for example, you own or any other universities’ official channels, national and international organizations’ channels, etc.

There are also plenty of educational channels made by professional teachers and student help services on YouTube. You can use these to get the much-needed explanations on some particular topic, from essay writing to Math to History.

3. Studyfy

If the explanations on Wikipedia and YouTube are not enough and you feel like you need one-on-one sessions to catch up on a certain subject, turn to online tutoring services like Studify. 

There, you can easily find a tutor to help you with practically any subject, be it STEM or Humanities. With its reasonable prices, the platform won’t leave you broke, and if you need any college admission advice, you can also get it there.

4. Khan Academy

The MOOCs have become immensely popular during the past year, and Khan Academy was among those that have gained the most recognition. It comes naturally from the fact that the platform is easy to use, suitable for both high-school and college-level students, and has a huge database of resources on a wide range of academic subjects.

You can use Khan Academy as a full-on online school, but most students treat it as a convenient reference source. The platform has lots of animated instructional videos with intelligible explanations of some complex topics that are perfect for most students – including undergraduates.  

If you need more sources of reference like this or just want to deepen your knowledge of a particular subject or topic, you can also turn to other popular MOOCs like:

• Coursera;
• edX;
• Udemy;
• Alison. 

5. GoConqr

If you prefer more complex learning tools, go ahead and join the GoConqr community. This platform that exists both as a web portal and a mobile app, unites students from all over the world and helps them share their ideas, experiences, and learning materials. 

What’s more, GoConqr is also useful as a learning tool as you can do some interesting things there like creating as sharing mind maps or flashcards, for example. That is not to mention that it’s a perfect means of communication for like-minded students interested in similar topics.

6. World Digital Library

Of course, your school has a library of its own – probably even a large one. But can you access it 24/7? Probably not – not to mention that you have to physically go there to obtain the books you need.

Luckily, it’s the 21st century, and we have digital libraries that are (in most cases) much more convenient to use. WDL, operated by UNESCO and the US Library of Congress, contains rare primary sources related to world cultures, like books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, musical scores, and more.

All materials in WDL are free to use. As of 2018, the repository contained over 18 000 items.

7. JSTOR

Another large digital library is JSTOR which stands for Journal Storage. This database provides free access to a huge number of books as well as scholarly and academic articles covering a wide range of subjects and disciplines. 

JSTOR is particularly useful for those studying Humanities as it contains plenty of resources on subjects like philosophy, art, history, sociology, etc. The majority of the sources are full-text, and many of them are peer-reviewed, which will come in handy in case you’ve been assigned an academic paper.

There are also some other notable databases like this if you need even more resources, for instance:

• ERIC;
• EBSCO; 
• PubMed.

In addition to that, you can also use Google Scholar during your research process. Though this is not a database but a search engine, it still can be of great help because it filters out the non-relevant results.

8. TED

If you need to relax and unwind, and still learn something new and interesting at the same time – don’t miss the famous TED Talks. While not always being particularly educational, these discussions are usually very engaging, and they can also give your brain enough food for thought so that you won’t find yourself looking for ideas when you need them.

Apart from TED Talks, there’s also a TED-Ed project that provides short video lessons on a wide array of academic subjects which can be used as a reference.

Final Thoughts

With all the modern technology, learning has become much easier for today’s students. Now, it’s easier than ever to find all the necessary resources, get academic help, boost your knowledge and improve your grades. So, don’t miss the opportunity to become a better student! Listed above are the resources that will be your reliable allies on this mission.