Must-have Resources for the College-Bound Student

This list of resources should be used as a guide for those students who wish to be well-prepared for a successful academic life in a post-secondary environment.

Research

Research Project Calculator - Keep track of due dates, set reminders and more. 

Web resource Evaluation Checklist - From Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab).

15 Steps to Good Research - From Georgetown University - includes links for more info.

How to Write a Thesis Statement - From Purdue OWL.

Recognizing and avoiding plagiarism - From Indiana University.

Topic Sentences and Paragraph Structure - Also from Indiana University - perfect your paragraphs!

Note-taking

Evernote - App that allows you to create or capture notes, organize them, and sync them across devices..

            Tips and tricks for using Evernote

ColorNote (Android) - App that allows you to color-code notes. Sync w/ calendars and set task reminders.

OneNote - App that fully integrates with Microsoft Office suite.

SimpleNote - App that is very basic note-taking tool. No frills or extras.

Squid (formerly Papyrus) - App that uses stylus or finger to jot down notes or sketches.

Cornell Notes - A system designed for clear understanding while note-taking during lectures

            Cornell Notes Video (13 min.)

            Cornell Notes Template (Free, printable blank grid for Cornell Notes)

            Cornell Notes Worksheet (Allows user to enter Title, keywords, grid style, or print a blank template)

MORE Note-taking strategies

2 Ways to Encourage Better Note-Taking

Communicating/Collaborating

Facebook - Used by teachers/professors for updates and sharing information.

Twitter - Used by teachers/professors for updates and sharing information.

Google Drive - Simultaneous collaboration, sharing, storage and more.

Prezi - Online collaborative presentation tool.

Slack - Good tool for teams wishing to keep in communication on a project.

Trello - Collaborative project management tool w/ customizable to-do list.

Cloze - (iOS only) Collects bits of messages from e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and prioritizes them.

Hootsuite - Dashboard for social media accounts

Schedules/Lists/Reminders

Google Calendar - Collaborative calendar.

Doodle - Simple scheduler; invites users to sign up for a time to meet.

Sign-up Genius - Organize groups for class projects, volunteering, sports, and more!

Calendly - Collaborative scheduling without a lot of e-mails. 

Diversions/Fun/Take a Break

Tag Galaxy - Fun 3D interactive photo search tool. Searches photos on Flickr.

Lightbox - Time Magazine's news photo essays for the intellectually curious.

Ello - Social Network - similar to Tumblr but with a much more broad, global perspective.

Google’s Night Walk - Amazing! Almost as good as being there.

DevArt - Art made using computer code
UnSplash - FREE stock photos you can use for whatever you want (no copyrights).

All That is Interesting - Current, historical, short, fascinating articles with amazing photography.

Scroobly - Create a doodle using your camera and it will animate.