The internet contains a wealth of information for young people entering and attending college. However, if they’re spending the bulk of their time on social media, they could easily overlook more useful digital gems. Don’t let your college kid miss the important stuff; share this list of great websites with your son or daughter.
Credible.com: Find the Best Student Loan
Image via Flickr by Sarah Mirk
Student loans in the United States total a staggering $1.3 trillion. That means the average student in the Class of 2016 is shouldering $37,172 in loan debt. Student loans are a necessary evil for most American students, but there are ways to save. Encourage your college kid to visit Credible.com before taking out a student loan. This clever site lets users compare different student loans side-by-side to help them find the best deal. It’s free and easy to use with up-to-date information about interest rates and loan terms.
FocusMe.com: Minimize Study Distractions and Improve Productivity
A computer is an essential study tool, but it’s also a distracting piece of technology that can easily derail your college kid’s academic resolve. If your son or daughter can’t resist Candy Crush and Instagram, suggest they visit FocusMe.com. This innovative website blocks or limits access to the websites and apps users find most distracting. It also helps users create a schedule and tracks their progress towards their goals. The break reminder will help your college kid keep the right balance between work and play for maximum productivity.
With so many features, it’s not surprising FocusMe.com charges a subscription fee. However, users can access a free trial to see whether it’ll work for them. Their Android app is free. Students, like your college kid, can also save 30 percent off the regular subscription rates.
Scholar.Google.com: Find Academic Sources With Ease
Website students love, like Buzzfeed and Wikipedia, simply don’t cut it when writing academic papers. Finding more credible sources can take a lot of time, especially when students are unfamiliar with the process. College kids in the know bypass the regular Google homepage and head to Scholar.Google.com instead. This clever search engine returns peer-reviewed and research-based articles from leading journals and other academic sources professors love. Creating a Google Scholar library lets your child save searches, retrieve past search results, and more.
Internships.com: Land a Dream Internship
An internship is an excellent way for your college kid to gain on-the-job experience and make valuable industry connections. Hiring managers tend to look more favorably on graduates with at least one internship under their belt. Securing an internship can be challenging, but you can give your college kid an edge by suggesting a visit to internships.com. This American website currently boasts more than 5,700 internship positions based in cities across the country. There’s also an accompanying mobile app that’ll let your kid search for internships while they’re out and about.
These great websites will help your son or daughter make the most of their college experience. You might not get a thank you, but rest assured, your college kid will appreciate these websites.
