College is an incredible and life-changing experience that every student can benefit from, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. In fact, getting a higher education comes with a whole wealth of problems that students might not expect to be hit with. With everything from living on your own, to crazy expenses, to health and well-being while balancing good grades, students really have their work cut out for them. Sounds intimidating? It doesn’t have to be! These 20+ college hacks will help any student have a MUCH easier time living in the dorms, eating properly, saving money, and getting good grades.
📚 Study and Coursework Hacks:
Use a Beercan To Boost Your Wifi Signal – It Really Works
Don’t Want To Study? Incentivize Yourself With A Candy For Every Paragraph You Read
Screenshot Your Class Schedule And Put It As Your Lock Screen Background – You’ll Never Forget Which Class You Have
RateMyProfessor.com
If you don’t know about this website, you need to check it out. Basically, the site lets you search for your school and specific professors within that school. Students then rate the professors and write reviews on exactly what they liked and/or didn’t like about them. This is more precious than gold when you’re about to commit an entire semester to taking their class. You can also help future students know what they’re getting themselves into.
Have Your Friends Ask Pre-Rehearsed Questions At The End of Your Presentation
Are you presenting in your next class? If you have a couple of good friends in that class with you, have them prepare some questions to ask you when you finish. You will be ready for them with the correct answers, and your professor will be super-impressed that you were able to stand on your own and answer them all. Just make sure to do the same for them when it’s their turn.
Use an Egg Carton Under Your Computer So Your Desk (Or Lap) Doesn’t Get Too Hot
🍻 Social Life Hacks:
Use a Binder Clip To Perfectly Stack Your Beers
Get Yourself a Hangover Cure
There is literally nothing worse than dragging yourself to class the morning after a rager with your head pounding and your stomach seconds away from hurling its guts. But don’t worry, there is something you can do! The Smart Drinking Club has you covered with the ultimate hangover cure: a range of all-natural pills you can take before and after your party, and/or even the next day. We’ve tried it and it actually works like magic!
Dry Campus? Here’s A Way To Sneak In Some Liquor – You Didn’t Hear It From Us
Always Have An STD Test Handy
Even if you take the proper precautions, sometimes it’s not enough to prevent contracting an STD. If you do end up with mysterious spots down where the sun don’t shine, going to the doctor can be embarrassing and awfully expensive. myLAB Box offers boxed STD kits that are delivered to your door. They are super easy to take and totally confidential. Not to mention they cost a significant amount less than a lengthy and kind of mortifyingly embarrassing trip to the hospital.
Get Your Birth Control Delivered To You – So You’re Never Late
Sex is rampant at college, and we’re not telling you not to enjoy yourself, but you definitely have to be careful. Unfortunately, many college campuses are located out of the way, and getting to the pharmacy to pick up your birth control each month can be tough. Instead, try using Nurx! They offer over 100 different birth control types (even the patch, the ring, and the shot). The best part? They deliver it to your door within 3-5 days. That’s one less thing to worry about.
🍕 Food Hacks:
No Microwave? Heat Up Your Breakfast With A Burning Hot Computer Charger
Eat Your Food Off Tortillas
Sound weird? Well it won’t be once you realize how few dishes you have to do when you finish your meal. Unless it’s something liquid or super-messy, you can eat your dinner right off a yummy, low carb tortilla. You don’t have to worry about clean-up, because you’ll be able to eat the plate instead!
Buy a Brita
None of us drink enough water these days, but it’s especially important for college students to stay hydrated. But don’t waste your money (or the Earth’s resources) on tons of plastic water bottles. Instead, buy a Brita water pitcher (Amazon sells one for only $27.99) and always have filtered water with you in your room. It’s super important to be drinking water as much as possible, and not just jungle juice and beer. Remember that.
Do Your Grocery Shopping At The Cafeteria
Look, we’re not saying to steal and hoard tons of food from the cafeteria up in your room. However, we all know that they have tons of cereals, milk, fruits, pastries, bread, and all types of goodies to spare. Instead of buying all of that yourself, bring down a container and a thermos the next time you go down for breakfast, and on your way out, fill them up with some cereal and milk for later. There goes your evening snack without having to spend another dime.
Buy a Coffeemaker – Make Your Own Coffee and Other Foods
This is a great hack for two reasons. Firstly, the cost of coffee is incredibly huge and you might not even realize it. If you buy a cup of coffee every day ($1.79 on average), you’ll be spending $653.35 a year. Instead, go for a cheap coffeemaker that can fit in your dorm. You will have hot, fresh coffee every morning and save hundreds of dollars. The second reason is that a coffee maker is very versatile. You can make tons of things in a coffee carafe; from noodles to hotdogs to even hard-boiled eggs, a coffeemaker can be your best friend at college when you don’t have a stove or an oven. Get this one for only $22
🛌 Dorm Hacks:
Put Your Clothes Away Vertically To Save Space And See What Your Options Are
Buy a Doorstop To Keep Your Door Open
It can be a frightening thought to have to make friends in an entirely new place, but this hack will make it so much easier. Having an open door lets the students on your floor and in your building know that they are welcome to come in and say hello. This hack really made our first-year experience a lot easier. Get 4 for only $8.75 on Amazon
Use Space-Savers To Organize Your Stuff
Use a desk organizer (we recommend this one for only $24) to keep all of your papers, books, and pencils in one place. Use space-saving hangers to take full advantage of your already scare closet space. Put in bed-risers if there is not enough room under the bed for more of your stuff. Trust us when we tell you that every inch of space in your dorm room is precious. And if you don’t take advantage of it in a super-organized way, you will find yourself in a huge mess (which your roommate probably won’t appreciate either).
No Dust Pan? No Problem – Use a Pizza Box and Throw The Whole Thing Away After
Stash Some Folding Chairs Under Your Bed
Most likely, you won’t have enough space on your small bed to squeeze all of your new-found friends into for a hangout. Instead, have a few folding chairs on-hand that can be completely collapsed and stored under the bed. They will also be useful for tailgate parties.
Get the ultimate Coleman chair with a 4 can cooler for $34
Tape Dryer Sheets Onto a Fan
Trying to mask an odor of food, alcohol, smoke, or something else? Don’t spend your money on expensive diffusers and plug-ins which barely mask the smell anyway. Instead, get a cheap fan and tape some dryer sheets to the front of it. Not only will the fan clear out the air, but it will also waft the dryer sheet smell around with it. Your room will only ever smell like freshly cleaned laundry.
Cover Your Chargers In Colorful Washi Tape And Avoid Your Roommates Stealing Them
Get a Memory Foam Mattress Topper
The beds that come with college dormitories are not typically known for their comfort and quality. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Most likely you will find yourself in a Twin XL cot-like bed that has a super thin mattress. Get yourself a memory foam mattress topper ($45) and you can forget about waking up every day with a strained neck and back. Your body will thank you.
Use an Air Purifier
Spending a lot of time in your tiny dorm room will get very stuffy, very quickly. Do yourself a favor and grab an air purifier, which kills up to 99.9% of airborne viruses and bacteria which can get you sick. Not to mention you will feel a lot better, in general, when you’re breathing in clean air instead of things like allergens, irritants, and dank mystery college dorm room smells. Homedics even has a desk-sized one for $69, so it won’t take up much room.
💸 Money Hacks:
Rent Your Textbooks
We don’t have the slightest idea why, but textbooks for college are outrageously expensive (we’re taking hundreds of dollars a piece). Instead of buying all of these books every semester and spending thousands (some of them you won’t even really use, we promise), you can rent them! Amazon has a textbook-renting program, but many college stores on campus also offer you the option of renting instead of buying their books.
Use Your Student ID For Discounts
There are SO many places that give discounts for college students; all they need to do is present their ID. From restaurants and movie theaters, to museums and clothing stores, you can save yourself a lot of money by taking advantage of the student discounts they offer. Even if you’re unsure if the location offers a student discount, make sure to ask. Often times you’ll find you don’t have to pay full price.
Grab Some Free Swag
Colleges are always running events for their organizations, and they typically give out tons of random knick-knacks and clothing items. You can always find t-shirts, sweat bands, keyrings, safety-whistles, beer cozies, and more at these events. Who cares if it has the name of their organization on it, it’s free!
Take Out Your Cash For The Week
Credit cards are dangerous things when you think about how easy it is to just swipe and continue going about your day. If you are the type of person who has trouble sticking to a budget with your card, take out a lump of cash for the day, week, or month that you will be using. That way, you can physically hold exactly what you have for that period of time, and you will feel each purchase as your sum starts to dwindle. You won’t be surprised by the credit card statement at the end of the month.
Use Free Transportation
Most colleges around the country offer some sort of free shuttle that goes around campus. Sure, it’s probably a habit you developed to just order an Uber, but that can get super expensive, fast. Instead, take a look at the scheduled times of your college’s shuttle, and see if you can manipulate your own schedule to take advantage of it. It’s totally free and can actually be a much safer option than taking a cab or a ride-share.
