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[howtodegree]

Hello, So I'm not actually new starting uni, I'm going into one of the later years. I really want to make some more friends this year but when I do make it to societies and things that interest me I tend to end up sitting silently so no-one notices me, I just want to be a part of something! I'm also on the autistic spectrum so I never know whether people want me around, As I have anxiety I tend to assume they don't but how do I know? Would appreciate any advice!

Hi Anon! 

I’ve been in a similar position before, I have anxiety and most of my first year was spent awkwardly standing in silence while everyone else made friends. What I would suggest, now that I have the experience of being in a committee of a society, is to maybe message a member of the society you look up to, or someone who’s in the committee. Explain to them that you’d like to be more involved but you feel nervous, or if you’d prefer maybe ask them a question about the society that starts a conversation. Social interactions are much easier when they’re based on passion, and obviously you will have things in common with them, so try and open up a dialogue. Then the next time you see them at the society go up to them and say hi, and from there things will become a lot easier, I promise! If all else fails, maybe bring a friend with you? It’s always easier to talk to people when you’ve got someone you already know there.

Good luck! I hope everything works out x

[howtodegree]

When I was first starting the whole process of finding applying to colleges, I was blessed enough to attend one of the best charter schools in the country, with several great teachers and a CAP Advisor that put so much time and effort into helping us figure out what we were going to do with our futures. I know not everyone is so lucky to have access to the same sort of people or resources, so here’s a long masterpost of many useful links and lots of great information you can use. If you ever want advice or to talk about college, feel free to message me!

Guides and Articles to Help Decision Making and Overall Process

For first-generation college students

For finding colleges and scholarships (A MUST CLICK FOR ALL)

Questions to ask yourself when deciding your major

Should you double major?

Is studying abroad right for you?

For High School Students

Check out fee waivers for AP testing AND the SATs

How do things change from high school to the real world?

11 college tips they won’t tell you in school

9 myths about college life that aren’t necessarily true

10 common mistakes made by college freshmen

15 tips on conquering your college freshmen fears

For Students in Florida

MDC is a great+cheap place to start your college education

Even better if you can apply and study in their Honors College

Attending MDC? See if you can be an American Dream Scholar

Check your eligibility for Bright Futures Scholarship

For College Students

How to pass a college class

What to do if you failed a class

10 college mistakes to avoid

A student’s guide to surviving college finals

A guide to surviving living on campus and having roommates

GED

What is the GED test?

What is on the test?

Free online GED  prep course

Sample GED test questions

Free practice GED test

Multiple free GED practice exams by 4Tests

SAT

What is the SAT?

When to take the test

Register for the SAT (Ask your school for waivers if you can)

Official SAT Question of the Day

Official SAT practice questions

Help donate rice to the hungry by answering practice questions

5 sources for free SAT Prep

ACT

ACT Test 101

Official ACT test prep

ACT Question of the Day

ACT practice questions and sample writing prompts

Free ACT practice exam by 4Tests

7 sources for free ACT practice

21 strategies to improve your ACT score

TOEFL

What is the TOEFL?

Here’s a free TOEFL practice exam

Free TOEFL practice exam by 4Tests

Financial Aid

College financial aid terms defined

What can I use the financial aid office for?

Common financial aid myths

Important college financial aid deadlines

FAFSA deadlines by State

10 tips for getting the most out of college financial aid

Apply for Federal Student Aid (Which you NEVER have to pay for)

Paying for college with grants

The ins and outs of scholarships

Scholarship for women/POC studying to work in video games

Student Loans

Student Loans 101

Federal Student Aid - What you need to know about loans

8 tips for taking out student loans

Volunteer for the community and get help paying off your loans

Saving, Managing, and Making Money

Buying/renting textbooks/learning materials at really cheap prices

35 discounts your student ID could get you

5 way to relax for under $5

Managing and saving money in college

5 ways to track your college expenses

20 different ways to make money in college

You can travel cheaper as a student

Youth and student discount cards

Scheduling Courses

4 tips for creating the perfect class schedule

Do research on the professors of the classes you want to take

Tips for Using the Rate My Professor Website

High-Quality Studying+Productivity Resources (FOR FREE!)

Free lecture notes, textbooks, exams, and videos from MIT

Khan Academy - Free for everyone, everywhere, about everything

Take your notes and flashcards with you everywhere you go

Help donate rice to the hungry by studying any of these subjects

6 free online courses that can improve your life

25 apps college students shouldn’t live without

10 study tips to improve your learning

23 science-backed study tips

Intense study tips

Improve your studying skills

How to get motivated to study

Google smarter

Getting even more out of Google

Project Gutenberg offers over 45,000 free eBooks

Writing Essays + Papers

The 5 best free word processors

Writing resources to use use general

When you’re not sure where to capitalize in a title

Help in building your works cited

For when you need even more help making citations

For when the word you want is on the tip of your tongue

Use Google Scholar for finding credible sources + info

Alternatives to the word “said”

Common errors in English usage

Common English grammar errors to avoid

The importance of the oxford comma

Other Helpful Resources

How To: Become An Adult

Really long and great masterpost that I use all the time

Good advice for submitting art school portfolios

Musical Theatre Auditions Masterpost

A Self Help Masterpost of Masterposts

Recovery resources

Contraceptives Masterpost

Essential Productivity Apps for any student

How to keep your laptop in tip-top shape

[howtodegree]

100 Delicious, Dirt-Cheap Recipes for the Starving Student

Most students don’t have a lot of cash to spend on food, but that doesn’t mean you have to go hungry. With the right recipes and some kitchen savvy, you can eat great even on a student’s budget. Here we’ll share 100 tasty recipes that you can make on the cheap. Along with saving money on meals, budget-savvy students can also save big on a college education by attending inexpensive online colleges.

Breakfast

Get a good start to your day with these cheap-o breakfasts.

Hash browns: Hash browns are cheap and easy to make, and cheaper than a trip to IHOP.

Puff pastry chicken and bacon: You can make bacon and chicken in puff pastry using this recipe.

Microwave scrambled eggs: Make scrambled eggs in the microwave with this recipe.

Breakfast burritos: You can make these burritos ahead for a quick microwave breakfast.

Onion quiche: This quiche makes a delicious, incredibly cheap breakfast.

Omelet in a bag: Boil eggs and some handy ingredients for this simple, cheap omelet.

Frittata: Add eggs to cheese, vegetables, and herbs you have handy in your fridge to make a frittata.

Ramen

A college staple gets dressed up in these recipes.

Antipasto ramen salad: With ramen, pepperoni, black olives, onion, and Italian dressing, you’ll find yourself with a great ramen salad.

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Ramen: This dish makes a delicious stir fry from ramen.

Chinese style ramen with veggies: Make your ramen a little bit healthier with some vegetables added in.

Ramen noodle alfredo: Turn your ramen noodles Italian with this recipe.

Beef & Broccoli Ramen: Add some meat and veggies to your ramen to make this dish.

Spring ramen salad: Take a fresh approach to ramen with recipe.

Hamburger ramen: Ground beef with ramen makes for a great meal.

Chicken hollandaise ramen: Add chicken and hollandaise to your ramen for this meal.

Egg drop noodle soup: You’ll combine ramen, eggs, and flour to make this tasty soup.

Lo mein ramen: Follow this recipe for ramen lo mein style.

Creamy veggies and ramen: Add celery soup and vegetables to ramen, and you’ll have a great meal.

Pasta ramen salad: Use ramen as the base to make this delicious pasta salad.

Sandwiches

Use these recipes to step up your sandwiches.

Hot Dog Egg Sandwich: Get a good portion of protein and flavor from this sandwich.

Egg Salad Sandwich: Cook up some hard boiled eggs for a cheap, tasty sandwich that’s really versatile.

Monte Cristo Sandwich: This sandwich is a delicious hybrid of grilled ham, cheese, and french toast.

Grilled chicken and apple sandwich: This hot sandwich is healthy, affordable, and delicious.

Canned salmon sandwich: Add celery, horseradish, and swiss cheese for a delicious, healthy meal from a can.

Turkey, chutney and avocado grilled sandwich: This sandwich is an exotic, cheap treat.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich: The classic college staple, grilled cheese sandwiches pack a lot of flavor for very little cost.

One Pot

These simple recipes can be pulled off in one pot.

Creamy cauliflower soup: This vegetable soup is cheap, easy, and surprisingly tasty.

Cheap chili: Use chopped beef, tomatoes, and more for this cheap chili.

Butternut Squash Soup: Take advantage of cheap winter vegetables with this soup.

Slow cooker BBQ chicken: Combine cut up chicken with your favorite barbeque sauce for this recipe.

Crockpot lemon chicken: Get inexpensive cuts of chicken and make this lemony meal for lots of flavor without lots of money.

Minestrone soup: Eat this classic soup for a healthy, cheap meal.

Cheeseburger soup: This soup is hearty enough to be a meal.

Slightly Italian crockpot chicken recipe: With chicken, artichoke, onions, and spices, you’ll get an Italian chicken meal in a slow cooker.

Cranberry pot roast: Beef roast and cranberries offer a lot of flavor in this crockpot meal.

Crockpot potato soup: Make this soup from chicken broth and potatoes.

Corn, Bacon, and Potato Chowder: This hearty chowder is great for winter eating.

Chilled avocado soup: Check out this recipe for a healthy, refreshing treat.

Slow cooker pulled pork: Make pork shoulder in the crock pot using this recipe.

Middle East Chicken Soup: This ethnic chicken soup is a cheap, tasty, treat.

Bean soup: In this bean soup recipe, you’ll find lots of protein for just a little money.

Salads

Use these healthy recipes to make cheap, delicious salads.

Caesar salad: Combine romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, and dressing for a classic salad.

Simple spinach salad: In this tasty salad you’ll find sweet pears and spinach.

Bowtie Pasta Salad: Throw together some pasta, tomatoes, and other vegetables for this salad.

Cucumber salad: This salad is fresh, delicious, and cheap.

Caprese salad: This caprese salad is simple and delicious.

Chicken Caesar salad: Eat this recipe as a salad, or put it into a wrap for a healthy, cheap treat.

Simple green salad: Here you’ll find a simple, inexpensive salad with great flavor.

Pecan mandarin orange salad: Get a bright and sweet salad from this recipe.

Cucumber salad with sour cream: This salad is cheap and refreshing.

Salmon orzo salad: With salmon filets, or even canned salmon, you can put together this salad treat.

Casserole

You’ll find delicious casseroles in these recipes.

O’Brien Casserole: Use O’Brien potatoes, beans, lean meat, and some veggies for a great potato casserole.

Baked Tuna Chow Mein Microwave Casserole: Pop this tuna casserole in the microwave for a quick meal.

Easy cheap casserole: This casserole combines easy, affordable ingredients.

Penne Pasta Casserole: Make this tasty pasta casserole for $3 or less.

Meatloaf: ground beef combined with ketchup, onions, and more makes a great meal for less than a dollar per serving.

Four Bean Casserole: This casserole is popular at potlucks and with barbequed meals.

Tuna casserole: With canned tuna, you can make a healthy, delicious tuna casserole on the cheap.

Pizza & Pasta

Get your grains with these recipes.

Microwave Mexican pizza: Use tortillas, cheese, salsa, and sour cream for this pizza.

Bagel pizza: Use this recipe to make pizza on a bagel.

Spaghetti: Pick up multigrain pasta with tomato sauce and mushroom for a big meal without a big budget.

Feast of Pasta: Create this casserole with pasta, onions, and other simple ingredients.

Shrimp with ricotta sauce on pasta: Upgrade your pasta dish with this recipe.

Easy calzones: Use cheese, vegetables, and pepperoni in these easy calzones.

Olio e Aglio Pasta: This side dish combines angel hair with oil and garlic.

Pasta salad: Combine your favorite pasta with salad dressing, and olives, vegetables, or herbs you have handy.

Pasta and Ricotta Cheese: This pasta favorite is a crowd pleaser.

Entrees

These recipes offer affordable main dishes.

Baked potato: Often served as sides, a baked potato can be the main dish-just add lean meat, beans, or chili.

Mexican hot dogs: This twist on hot dogs is extra delicious.

Chili: With beef, tomatoes, and beans, you can make a delicious chili.

Tuna patties: Put tuna, egg, relish, crumbs, salad dressing, and other simple ingredients together to create yummy tuna patties.

Cheap beef stroganoff: This recipe offers a cheap version of beef stroganoff.

Vegetarian chili: Use soy protein, tomatoes, and beans for a protein and fiber packed chili without any meat.

Eggplant parmesan: Eggplant parmesan makes a cheap and delicious vegetarian meal.

Vegetarian sweet and sour tofu: If you’re looking for a great vegetarian meal on the cheap, check out this recipe.

Parmesan chicken: With breadcrumbs, parmesan, and chicken, you can make this very tasty main dish.

BBQ chicken: Slather chicken with barbeque sauce, pop it in the oven, and enjoy.

Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken: Make some delicious chicken in a slow cooker with this recipe.

Salmon patties: Use canned salmon, bread crumbs, and other simple ingredients for this healthy, cheap dish.

Meatballs and orzo: Make these easy meatballs instead of using store bought frozen ones.

Sides

Use these recipes to complement your entrees on the cheap.

Buttered baby carrots: Sweet, tender carrots make up this side dish.

Roasted asparagus: Follow this simple recipe for a healthy, cheap vegetable side.

Spicy mac: Make macaroni and cheese with Taco Bell hot sauce.

Garlic toast: Use this recipe for delicious garlic bread that will please any taste.

Microwave macaroni and cheese: Make your own homemade mac and cheese in the microwave.

Pesto stuffed cherry tomatoes: Pesto, ricotta, and tomatoes come together for this delicious side that’s great for potlucks.

Scalloped potatoes: These scalloped potatoes are easy and creamy.

Bean and rice salad: This salad is delicious and cheap.

Green beans amandine: With this recipe, you can omit almonds for even more money savings.

Onion scones: In these simple scones, you’ll find lots of flavor.

Potato croquettes: These croquettes are a great way to use your leftover mashed potatoes.

Twice-baked potatoes (microwave): Make this cheap potato classic in the microwave for easy cooking.

Broccoli and cauliflower salad: This salad is cheap and packed full of nutrients.

Desserts

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these affordable dessert recipes.

Chocolate chip cookies: Create cookies with chocolate chips, M&Ms, nuts, or even pretzels with this recipe.

1 step brownies: Turn a chocolate box cake into simple, cheap brownies using this recipe.

Balsamic strawberries with marscapone cheese: A few delicious ingredients make for a tasty, cheap treat.

Cheap and quick cookies: This recipe will show you how to turn cake into cookies.

Lemonade pie: Simple ingredients go into this delicious, cheap pie.

Easy baked apples: Apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and raisins come together in this microwave recipe.

Super easy microwave peanut butter fudge: Only two simple ingredients to into this peanut butter fudge.

[howtodegree]

Hey! Firstly, what a great idea for a blog! Good job :) I was wondering if you'd be able to give me some tips for how best to study at university online? I'm about to start my bachelors degree online, and whilst I'm super excited, I'm also quite worried, as I've had no previous university level study and I've just come out of year 12 so I'm not too sure what I should and shouldn't be doing. Also, things that are helpful to buy in terms of stationery? And tips for organising my notes? Thanks! :)

Hey Anon, thank you!

Apologies, I haven’t had wifi for a few days because I’ve been moving house, so I wasn’t able to respond to this as fast as I hoped!

I‘ve never had any experience with online universities, so a lot of this will be what I’ve been through that you may still find useful. If you’re going away to uni this will also still be helpful!

What I can guess from the course being online is that it would be a really good idea to buy a printer. You’ll probably have a tonne of printouts to read, and while it is cheaper to just read them on your laptop, trust me it’s better to print, notate and highlight. This will be much easier when it comes to revising too, as everything will be really organised and you can access it much easier than trying to find the link from three months ago. The bonus part is that you get to have a ceremonial burning of notes after results come out OR you can give them to someone else studying the same course as you the year after.

Another tip I have is before you start your course learn how to reference. I got very little assistance with referencing and I just kind of had to learn at the last minute when I did my first uni essay. Having a working knowledge of how to reference and how to reference well will really help you, it’ll boost your grades, hopefully will make essay writing less painful and means you won’t get in trouble for plagiarising. The University of Kent has a good guide on all the different types of referencing, it’s probably a good idea to get to grips with all of them, but Chicago and Harvard are the most likely to crop up. Some of your tutors will prefer different referencing styles, so while you’ll probably have a preferred one it’ll help you out to know more than one well.

As for the organising, whatever works best for you! I have a different notebook for each module (you can get really cute exercise books from Paperchase or WH Smith that come in packs) and i’d recommend binders and hole punches/staple guns. Again, you’re going to have a lot of paper kicking around, so really try and make sure you keep track of it all. Maybe have some boxes for different topics, so you can keep all your reading in one place? Plus highlighters, make sure you have lots of highlighters!

Finally, if you’ve got any of your tutors’ email addresses, maybe email and ask for any reading lists/textbooks you’ll need for the modules. If you’re doing an arts subject (especially English) being ahead of the reading will really help you, and it can never hurt to have read some of the theory stuff in advance, even if you don’t really understand it. Good news is, you will eventually!

Good luck, I hope you found at least some of that helpful and it’ll hopefully ease the transition to higher education. While these are all things I wish I’d done before starting, you by no means HAVE to do them all, it would just help to be a little more prepared if you’re nervous. Enjoy your degree!!!

[howtodegree]

Hi! I have anxiety and I'm starting to worry about the process of applying to Uni. I have one choice already but I'm finding it SUPER overwhelming, even with the help of family and friends and teachers?! How do I NOT FREAK OUT about the process?!

Hey anon! Applying for uni does seem like a really daunting process, but I think the best thing to do (and I know this seems counter productive) is to not worry about what other people think you should do. You’re the one going to university, so at the end of the day you need to be the happy one, and if you’re listening to lots of different people it gets more and more overwhelming. 

The best thing to do is make sure you have lots of visits organised, at a variety of different types of universities. Check out bigger unis, smaller unis, campus unis and city unis. That will give you a sense of what you actually want in a university. Personally I found after visiting Reading that I liked the idea of a mid-sized campus university, so I started to look more into that kind of university, which is what took me to visiting UEA.

I know it’s a stressful time and as someone who gets anxiety I totally get that there’s a lot to worry about, but I think that staying organised and true to yourself will always help. Sometimes visiting a university you’ll just get this feeling that it’s the right one for you, and even if you don’t get that feeling you’ll probably be happy anywhere. Also check out student satisfaction tables, they’re more likely to give a better idea of what studying at the university is like than grades ever will!

Good luck, and I hope that helps!!

[howtodegree]

Hi, Charlotte! I'm going to be attending a university almost five hours from my parents' house, and I'm a little stressed out over packing because it would be difficult to retrieve anything I might forget. What are some essentials for the first year of university? Also, how many outfits should I plan on bringing? Mother says I can't 'just bring seven'. Thank you so much!

Hello anon! I’m going to try and write a slightly more comprehensive list of what to take to uni, but actually from my experience you should just try and take the essentials and that’s it. I had a vast amount of crap I didn’t need, and lots of clothes that I hardly ever wore, which leads to lots of problems when moving out of halls. You might want a few more than seven outfits, but to be honest if that’s what you wear then you may as well keep it to that. I’d recommend basing what you take on what you use now, think about what things you actually do regularly wear or use and only take that stuff with you.

As for being five hours away, whatever you end up forgetting I’m sure won’t be anything you can’t easily get while you’re at uni. Aside from valuables like laptops and things that remind you of home, pretty much everything else is dispensable, and you learn to be a little less attached to your stuff especially when you’re moving around between years at uni. If you’re worried about forgetting stuff make sure you have a checklist and that will hopefully ease your mind a little 

Stay tuned with this blog, I’m going to do a uni essentials masterpost and I’m going to try and research what other people see as essentials as well. Sorry i can’t be more helpful right now, but I want to make sure I make the most comprehensive essentials list I can!!!

[howtodegree]

So you didn’t get into the university you wanted...

Results day was yesterday, the dust has settled a little. You may have had a panic because you didn’t get your first, or even second choice uni.

Chances are you’re very disappointed, that’s absolutely natural. You set your heart on a place and you can’t go there and it’s really tough.

Cry it out if you need to. Your friends and family have probably been rushing around you and trying to help you out and make sure you’re ok. You might have been ringing around for alternative offers and chances are you haven’t had any time to yourself to think. Take yourself somewhere quiet and peaceful and reflect.

The good news is, you’re not alone. Plenty of people don’t get their first choice, and it’s likely you know some of them. Maybe organise coffee with them, even if you don’t know them that well. The hardest thing about not getting into your university of choice is all the people around you going exactly where they wanted to. It’s very difficult not to feel jealous or left out, and bonding with someone that is going through a similar situation will make you feel less alone.

Now be proactive. What offers do you now have? Are there decisions to make about where you are going to go?

Look at your options. Look at the other courses you’ve been offered. Read the course description, what modules are available to you. Chances are you’ll get excited about it, this is what you’re interested in and it’s not all over. Look at where you can stay. Is it on a campus? Is it in a city? Maybe organise a trip to the place you’re going to be studying at so you can get a feel for it.

Give yourself time. You’ve got lots of decisions to make but whatever happens, you’re going to make it work. Honestly, most of the people i’ve met have loved the university they ended up at whether it was their first choice or not. You’re still going to make amazing friends, study your chosen topic in more depth than ever, break hearts, make mistakes, join societies and all in all have a fantastic time. 

You’re scared and nervous and disappointed all at once, and that’s natural. But you’re going to be ok.

[howtodegree]

Intro Post

Hello, and welcome to how to degree! Congratulations on getting your results and getting into uni, a levels are hard, probably the hardest qualification you’ll do.

I’ve started this blog to help you through the next month, I’ll be posting about tips for what to take with you, how to deal with leaving home, and how to survive freshers week. If this takes off I might continue in into the rest of the year, and continue giving advice as you embark on the biggest (and hopefully best) adventure of your life so far!

First off, in honour of results day I’d like to tell you about my experience getting my a level results and getting into university.

I took a bit of a risky move with my a level choices - my backup choice was the same university (the University of East Anglia) as my first choice, and the minimum grades I needed were AAB. This sounds like a really terrible idea, but honestly I just loved UEA so much and knew it was where I wanted to go. I applied for English Lit with Creative Writing as my first choice, which was AAA, and then English and American Lit as my backup.

This meant that my results day was going to be extra stressful. My dad drove me into my school’s campus and I ran to grab my envelope. I know it sounds dramatic, but when I picked that envelope up I just somehow knew I didn’t have the grades. I’d got ABB, which are still great grades, but I didn’t really have time to celebrate. I handed my envelope to my dad, who was asking what I got, and ran up to my school’s library to get to computer.

At first, I panicked quite a lot. I was looking at the Times’ guide for clearing and there wasn’t anything free at UEA for English Literature. I rang up their clearing office to try and see if they could help me out. It took ages to get through (in which time two of my friends ran to grab me a coffee for emotional support) but when I finally did, there was nothing available that was a major in literature.

The woman on the phone was very reassuring and offered me a place on the Art History with English course, as I’d done photography at A level and textiles at AS. I didn’t really fancy that, so then she offered me a place on Film and English studies, as I’d received an A in Media. I looked up the course and did a quick read through, and mentioned it to my friends who were looking over my shoulder. One of them asked why I didn’t just apply for that course in the first place because it sounded perfect for me, and I decided to accept the place!

Fast forward three years, and I’m now a graduate! I ended up preferring the Film side of my degree much more to the English side, and I managed to swing it so that the only English module I took in my third year was a Drama module. I’ve also recently discovered I might be dyslexic, so the reading that would have been involved would have been a lot to handle in an English degree.

Basically the moral of the story is, even if you go through clearing and don’t get into the place or do the course you wanted to do, that doesn’t mean you won’t have a great time at university! It could even end up being exactly what you wanted in the long run :) Sending love and support to all of you, you’ve done so well and you’re gonna be fine <3