It’s hard to get back in the swing of things after winter break.
Interestingly enough, most find it most difficult to adapt in the fall semester. However, transitioning to the spring semester is often even harder.
Some think the longer span of summer break makes returning to school more stressful, but in fact, it can make it easier. Students have months to relax, take trips and catch up with old friends. And while the winter break gives us some time do this, it’s really not much.
We are all certainly more sane by the end, though it still feels a little unfinished. The taste of freedom is just enough to make us hungrier. Going out and sleeping in has finally started to feel normal when it’s cut short.
We can all sit here and complain about it, but that won’t stop time from moving and essays from being assigned.
If you’re feeling a little dazed and confused this week, or getting lost and overwhelmed (likely before 11 a.m.), then here are some techy-tools that may help save the day and get you back into school-mode.
1. StudentRate.com
This site collects student deals and discounts on electronics, clothes, travel and much more. Instead of searching for individual vendors that offer student discounts, StudentRate compiles the lists for you.
If you haven’t purchased textbooks yet, check out StudentRate’s textbook price comparison tool. Search by book name, author or ISBN and the app will put together a list of textbook sellers and the rates of each.
2. Sleepyti.me
This website and app (available on IOS for $0.99) uses the REM cycle sciences to calculate a person’s optimal amount of sleep depending on when they plan to wake up.
It’s pretty simple, just plug in the time you want to wake up and sleepyti.me will show you the best time you should go to bed in order to feel well-rested.
You can also switch it up if you know when you plan to go to sleep, but not when to wake up.
3. Lynda.com
This digital library offers over 4,000 video courses on almost every skill and technique imaginable. Interested in audio and music production? Want to enhance your Indesign skills? You’ll find it on Lynda. Whatever you want to discover, or even just practice, it’s there.
The collection can be accessed on a computer, tablet or mobile device.
4. Codeacademy.com
Codeacademy is a free resource to learn coding. Need I say more? If you don’t know by now, knowing how to code in our digital world has become incredibly important. This computer lingo will help you in countless ways – predominantly, to land jobs after graduation.
In addition to breaking down programming concepts and syntax like HTML, CSS and JavaScript, the site teaches specific web developer skills that include building interactive websites and applications.
Whether it’s business or personal, having a free option for something this coveted is an obvious win.
5. Twinword.com/writer/
Have you ever been in the middle of writing an essay, blog or story, and start repeating the same word over and over? Then, even after you’ve found a few decent substitutions, another word would begin to re-appear. It’s a vicious cycle.
I don’t know about you, but there are a few things I hate more.
Twinword can help solve this problem. The online word processor features a built-in thesaurus that searches for the right word, offering suggestions when a term shows up too often.
That just sounds like heaven, at least to me…not to repeat myself.
6. Brain.fm
Do you ever study while listening to music? Some students can listen to any genre of music, some only classical and others not at all. But what does science have to say about it? Brain.fm is a web app that tells you.
Brain.fm uses audio brainwave training that creates highly-specific music designed to improve your brain’s performance. The app offers three categories: Focus, Relax and Sleep.
While the versatile improvement is a pretty big claim to make, this brain-workout tool is backed by over 180 studies and intensive EEG analysis.
There is a monthly fee of $6.95, and a yearly rate of only $3.99. You can also try out 7 free sessions before needing to pay.
7. Hemingwayapp.com
The Hemingway application started out as an online-only text editor that aimed to improve people’s writing based on the simple language style of author Ernest Hemingway. It has since expanded as a desktop editor ($9.99 on Mac and Windows) that allows you to open and save files.
Regardless of which you choose, this app really does it all.
It offers a counter that keeps track of the paragraphs, sentences, words and characters in a piece, and a grading system that is based on how readable your writing is. If it’s complicated and dense, the grade will be worse.
The app also analyzes the grammar and sentence structure of a piece by highlighting in various colors. For example, a sentence highlighted in yellow indicates it’s too long and complex, while a phrase in green is marked to show passive tense, and so on.
8. Mint
Money: Most of us don’t have much of it. But for those who may struggle to keep track of the bills while juggling a fresh batch of classes, Mint is here to help.
Available on Android and IOS, this free website and app allows you to view all your financial accounts in one place.
Create budgets (in case you just can’t help yourself sometimes), track your spending, receive alerts for unusual account charges and get tips on how to reduce fees, and save money.
