It’s the start of the new academic year, where we’ve all said to ourselves “I’m going to be way more organized this year” but often fall short within the first few weeks. So I thought I’d create a list of my top student tips that could help you stay organized this year.
After scouring through Pinterest boards and pages of Google, I have tried to narrow down the most interesting and useful student pointers
1. Referencing
RefMe – The most important thing you’ll need in your life. This ingenious app does all your referencing for you. When you’ve pulled an all-nighter and can hear the birds singing at 4am, there’s nothing worse than realizing you’ve forgotten to reference. But there’s no need to worry that you’ll be up for the next two hours! All you need to do is scan the barcode or search for the title/ISBN of the book and export the file onto your document, either from the app or on your computer. Simple!
2. Wifi Connection
I’m sure everyone has suffered from really bad Wi-Fi connection, particularly those on the top floor of student houses. Instead of forking out a weeks shop or more importantly, a month’s worth of beer money on a Wi-Fi extension, why not recycle your beer cans with this little piece of DIY:
3. Ironing
Straighteners are not just for your hair, ladies (or gents)! They’re also useful for ironing out those creases you didn’t notice until after you put on your dress. You can save time by not having to setup the ironing board and you’re getting another use out of your straighteners.
4. Storage
We’ve all taken far too many clothes to Uni without thinking about the lack of storage space to hang them. However, old beer cans can save the day again. Use a can ring pull over your hanger so you can hang more clothes in that tiny space!
5. Keys
Fiddling around with your keys can be a nightmare, particularly when they all look the same. Paint the ends of your keys with nail varnish to distinguish which key is for what door! So, no more time wasting when you’re bursting for the toilet, and more importantly, drunk you will thank sober you for this nifty little tip!
6. Pans Boiling Over
Unsurprisingly, pasta ends up on every student’s menu. But as we all know, or will soon find out, there’s nothing more irritating than when the boiling starchy water overflows and creates an annoying mess. But there’s now no need to keep watch of your pasta from over-boiling! Simply place a wooden spoon over the top of your pan to prevent overflow.
7. Tangled Wires
Disorganized wires knotting together in a heaped pile on your floor and desk? We all know how much of a pain it is to unravel and untie all of our cables. Binder clips attached to the edge of your desk should do the trick nicely and keep all tangled-ness at bay.
8. Decorating Your Room
Moving into rented accommodation will mean that nailing things onto the wall is a no-go. Instead, try some damage-free hanging strips to decorate your room cheaply and hassle free! I can vouch that these are genius products and work a treat. It might be very ‘un-Uni’ of me to have picture frames with artwork in them, but at a measly £3 for a set of 2 or 3, how can you resist making your room look more ‘homely’?
9. Pink Socks
Colour catchers will save you money and time, as you’ll no longer have to separate your washes into lights and darks. With the unpredictability of University washing machines (or if you have no idea of how to do your washing!), this is a fail-safe way of protecting against colour transfer! Simply put one in the wash on a mixed load and say goodbye to pink socks!
10. Saving Money
And finally, why pay full price for anything? Search websites for discount codes before buying online or going shopping. Websites such as moneysavingexpert and myvouchercodes have lots of useful offers. You never know, you might get a super cheap deal on a meal out or save money on that dress you’ve been after.
Sources
http://www.viperapps.co.uk/blog/student-referencing-app-wins-best-british-mobile-start-up/
http://www.abubblylife.com/2012/04/5-minute-diy-color-code-your-keys.html