University can be stressful. Trust us, we’ve been there. Adjusting for college life, however, is much easier when you know where to look for help with budgeting, mental health support, and Harvard referencing …
Image credits: (background) Rawpixel, (foreground) Deboraht Suarez – Shutterstock
Being a student can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot to deal with. Make new friends, find your way around Turnitin, and avoid basic money mistakes … the fight is real.
However, try not to get too lost in the details. After all, the university is what you make of it. When you know where to go for cheap food, to help with essays and career support, you can’t go too far wrong – and this is where these websites come in!
Approved food
Best for: Cheap food
Approved Food is an online grocer that stocks products that are almost (or already) past their best-before date, but are still perfectly edible. Ideal for cheap dinners and healthy meals on a budget.
Camelcamelcamel
Best for: Amazon price tracking
This Amazon Price Tracker is essential for buying electronics and books online. Camelcamelcamel is one of our top hacks on Amazon as it monitors products on the website and notifies you when prices are falling to help you get the best deal.
Quote this for me
Best for: Harvard referencing
Imagine if there was a Harvard reference website that could produce your bibliography for you? Well there is (almost) and it is hands down one of the most useful websites for students!
Just put your source in Cite This For Me and copy and paste the final product. You’re welcome.
Citizens Advice Bureau
Best for: Legal advice
Is your landlord trying to avoid giving you your deposit back?
With a hotline and offices across the country, the Citizens Advice Bureau is a great place to go for any legal questions you may have during your studies – whether or not you have concerns about housing, finances or your consumer rights.
Cold Turkey
Best for: Stay away from social media
Cold Turkey isn’t a website-only website, but it will surely help you make better use of the other websites on this list.
Download the application and you won’t be able to access websites that you want to avoid while trying to work – perfect if you want to be more productive or if you have an essay to write in a day …
Diversify
Best for: Jobs for ethnic minority students
Diversifying is a search engine that features vacancies from companies looking to hire people of different backgrounds and skills.
It’s not as extensive as other popular search engines, but it has some interesting offers from the charity sector and public organizations.
Edx
Best for: Online courses
EdX is a huge open online course provider, including some that are completely free. It offers courses in a range of university-level disciplines – great for learning new skills to add to your resume!
Ethical superstore
Best for: Environmentally friendly household products and groceries
This is a great option for replenishing household items like toilet rolls, laundry detergent, and trash bags.
The Ethical Superstore is basically an eco-friendly Tesco that is only available online and sells groceries, beverages, health and beauty products and even clothing like a regular supermarket. Perfect when you’re trying to use less plastic without changing your entire lifestyle.
Freecycle
Best for: Free furniture
Are you looking for furniture for your university room? Freecycle is full of people promoting household items and old furniture that they no longer use but don’t want to see in a landfill. And you guessed it, all for free!
Google Scholar
Best for: Academic texts
Google Scholar is a search engine for academic texts on a wide variety of topics. Some texts are complete and others only partially included (books in particular), but it is a great website to improve your bibliography.
Graduate recruitment office
Best for: Placement of graduates in jobs after university
The Graduate Recruitment Bureau (GRB) is a graduate consultancy that connects students with recruiters, SMEs, and startups seeking candidates for full-time graduate positions, graduate programs, internship years, and internships.
grammar
Best for: Check your spelling
Grammar is an excellent spelling and grammar checker that you can install on your browser. No more typos in these essays!
Gutenberg project
Best for: Free e-books with ancient texts
Project Gutenberg is an eBook library for free texts and books whose copyright has expired. Great for coursework, projects, and essay enhancement, as well as being a particularly useful website for students in social sciences or humanities courses.
Beehive
Best for: I don’t buy books on Amazon
For students who are concerned about the ethical implications of shopping on Amazon, Hive is a great alternative to books. It sells books from independent bookstores across the UK and gives them back a percentage of the profit.
Idealo
Best for: price comparison
Similar to Camelcamelcamel, Idealo is a price comparison website for everything from smartphones to cheap flights. A great research tool for making major purchases.
JSTOR
Best for: Trade journals
A single point of contact for past and current issues of journals, books, and other primary sources for your essay needs!
Milk round
Best for: Graduation jobs and internships
A job search engine (not a recruitment agency) that specializes in positions, internships and internships for graduates.
understanding
Best for: Support for your mental health
Mind is one of the UK’s largest mental health charities and a great place to turn if you or any of your friends are dealing with any mental health issue. The charity also has a hotline if you need immediate help.
Muslim youth hotline
Best for: Faith and culturally sensitive support
A charity that provides help and support to young people of Muslim faith. The helpline service is open seven days a week, 365 days a year (including holidays and oath). Email and web chat services are also available.
National Debt Line
Best for: Debt counseling
The National Debtline is designed to help people struggling with debt. You can contact them via email, web chat, or phone. The website offers fact sheets on debt recovery, settlement and litigation.
Quidco
Best for: Cashback
Quidco is one of the most popular cashback sites in the UK, offering cash on flights, broadband contracts and even purchases on eBay.
Save the student
Best for: #Lit student money advice
Time for shameless self-promotion! Check out our guides on the best bank accounts for college students, meal planning, budget, and making money in a snap!
Sexual Health London
Best for: Sexual health resources for London based students
In partnership with the NHS, Sexual Health London has free STI tests delivered to your home (if you live in London) and sexual health resources for Londoners.
SH24
Best for: Sexual Health Resources
SH24 provides free STI testing, diagnosis and treatment, oral contraception, morning-after pill and remote clinical support to people across the UK (except for some regions)
progress
Best for: Advice on debt management
StepChange is a debt charity that offers free expert advice on debt and debt management issues (ideal if you’re struggling with payday loans, for example).
Student Minds
Best for: Support for the mental health of the university
It’s not a hotline, but Student Minds runs student support groups at various UK universities.
TED talks
Best for: Be motivated
Videos of lectures by experts from around the world that will motivate you (and which prove to be a “useful” way to put off!). A very useful website if you want to increase your productivity.
Thesaurus.com
Best for: Full marks for ‘writing style’
As long as you don’t get full, Joey out Friends‘and scroll through the thesaurus every single word, this website will be an absolute godsend if your writing an essay.
Usually additional grades are offered for coherent, grammatically correct writing. So if you describe trends as something other than “interesting” or “surprising” you may be given a first chance!
The ultimate guide to healthy eating
Best for: Know what is best to eat when you are sick
As a BuyAGift product, this is basically a chart of what to eat and drink when you are tired, migraines, concentration, constipation … especially useful when you are breastfeeding a hangover!
TopCashback
Best for: Cashback
TopCashback is the UK’s other leading cashback website alongside Quidco. Look out for the free cashback feature that allows you to do simple online tasks.
Young stone wall
Best for: LGBTQ support
Stonewall is an LGBTQ youth charity, providing information on coming out, health and wellbeing, as well as LGBTQ support and community groups in your area.
Once you arrive at university there are a few things you can do to make your resume stand out for future employers!
English
Arabic
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish