Top Online Tools For College Students

If you’re an online student then you should work with online tools. Not only are online tools for college students usually free, they are readily available, easy to access and extremely useful.  Best of all, online tools for students come with all sorts of capabilities so that they can be useful no matter what you study. So; distance learning students unite; you can all benefit from using the same technology.

Google Documents – Google Docs is one of the best free student tools ever.  With Google Docs you can store documents, create spreadsheets, documents and more and then access them from any computer in the world. This means that you won’t need a USB stick to go and print off papers at the library anymore. You can also use Google Docs calendar to set up your school/home/play calendar. In fact, you can even set each calendar up separately and then sync to your smart phone should you chose.

CiteMe – CiteMe is a very cool Facebook App that allows you to find sources and citations for just about anything. You can type in the author, ISBN or title, press search and a formatted citation comes up. This is great if you’re just looking for one or two citations but don’t want to bother searching the web. You don’t even have to stop chatting with your friends to find citations with CiteMe!

Diigo – Diigo is a great app for organizing notes, writing documents, creating documents and sharing them across pretty much anywhere. However; Diigo’s main purpose is to allow you to bookmark and write notes and notations across any web page, anywhere. If you have ever used online research pages then you know how useful this can be. Best of all, if you make notes on a page and then turn off your computer, you can come back to notes that have been saved to the page.

EverNote – EverNote is another great organization tool that is extremely useful for students. The app allows you to organize, search and view pretty much anything you like. This includes your homework, to do list, shopping list, calendar, photos, recipes or etc.  EverNote is also available on nearly every smart phone, tablet and computer so you can download it and sync across all of your electronic devices. The normal version is free, however; for the premium version you can get a 50% discount for student groups of 3 or more.

There are hundreds of free applications available that students can use to make their lives easier. If you are looking for a program for your computer, your phone or your tablet, all you have to do is search it online. Chances are someone has come up with it and chances are there is a free version available somewhere. 

Studying online means that you are putting your education and your career in the hands of someone you will likely never meet in person. Because of this; you of course want to study at one of the best schools online.  Knowing that you are studying at a highly qualified school will give you the trust and the peace of mind you need to invest your money and your time for your degree.

OEDB rankings include statistics based on graduation, student acceptance, study material, student to teacher numbers and much more.

National University

National University is an accredited University with both online and offline study options. The school ranks #1 by OEDB for the first time and has held the position for 2012. The school offers more than 70 online courses including Associate, Bachelor, Master, Certification and Minor degrees. They have a very wide range of courses meaning that you can study almost anything you would like to at this school. The university has also been awarded several recognitions including for preparing more students for roles in teaching than any other school in California in 2011.

Southern New Hampshire University

Southern New Hampshire University is another great college that offers both online and offline programs. The university is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education as well as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and multiple association councils for individual courses and programs. The University offers more than 75 courses including a unique 3 year honor degree that allows qualifying students to earn a bachelor degree in 3 years instead of 4. Southern New Hampshire University teaches programs in the schools of Arts, Business and Education. They have been recognized with a New England Higher Education Excellence Award as well as a Best of Business Award for their MBA.

Golden Gate University

Golden Gate University is a private university with online study options. The school offers education for professionals and includes a school of law, school of business, taxation and accounting. Golden Gate has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as well as the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Records. The school has produced several notable alumni including CEO’s, a governor, Supreme Court Judges and more.

Regent University

Regent University is a Christian University offering both online and offline schooling. They offer 30 different study courses and are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Association of Theological Schools.

Colorado State University

The Colorado State University is an accredited 4 year college with over 55 academic departments. They offer 65 individual bachelor degrees and 55 Master degrees. The school has been open since 1870 and has been teaching under accreditation for much of that time. Currently Colorado State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission through the State of Colorado and the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. 

Why You Should Study Online

 

Going back to school used to be difficult. At one point in time if you wanted to start studying for a degree or even return to a degree program that you had previously dropped out of; you would have to go to a traditional college and give up your daily, adult responsibilities and routines. 

Today things are easier. Recent advances in technology have allowed students to begin studying through distance learning in order to earn their accredited degrees.  Distance learning is the process of studying through an online school.  Online learning allows you to complete your lessons and turn in your assignments through your computer.

Fully Accredited

Today, most online schools are fully accredited. This means that they have been approved by accrediting agencies to prove that their tuition meets standards for the diploma. What attending an accredited school means is that your degree will be just as respected as a degree from any other accredited school. Studying at an accredited online school will benefit your career just as much as study at an accredited offline school!

Rolling Deadlines

One of the best things about online schools is that many of them have rolling deadlines. This means that you can apply throughout the year and start at any time after being accepted. This policy means that if you decide to start school during Christmas, all you have to do is apply to a school and be accepted in order to immediately start study. You will not have to wait until the fall semester starts like you would with a traditional school. This means you can start to study much more quickly and therefore finish months sooner!

Accelerate or Slow Down

Did you know that you can speed up or slow down your study when you study online? You can actually study more slowly so you have more free time (especially if you have a job or want to spend a lot of time with your family). Or if you have hours per day that are free while your kids are at school, you can expedite your study so that you earn your degree faster. In some cases you can complete your Bachelor degree in as little as 18 months with an expedited degree.

Degrees Available

There are literally hundreds of degrees available to study online. Most of the degrees that you can earn can be studied online unless they rely on the physical use of equipment in order to learn. You can study law, medicine, criminal justice and a variety of other careers straight from your computer.

Get a Scholarship

Another recent development in the field of distance learning is that it is easier than ever to get a scholarship. In the past you might have been required to study less than 30% online in order to qualify for financial aid. However; todays laws state that you are eligible for financial aid no matter where you are studying. However; the school must be accredited in order for you to receive aid.

There are numerous benefits to studying at an online college. For starters you can stay home with your family or keep working your job. You can finish more quickly or more slowly depending on your schedule.

Online study gives you the freedom to study how and when you want. 

Studying On Your Computer

There are several advantages to studying online. You can study whenever and wherever you like, you can pause a lesson to go get a snack or take the dog out for a walk or whatever you like. However; even if you are studying at one of the best online universities there can be problems as well. You have to learn to study through your computer and you have to motivate yourself into working.

Manage Your Time

Studying online requires that you manage your time. If you have to do other things such as take care of your family, work during the day or clean your house then you have to arrange your schedule so that everything fits in. If you don’t want to study everything all at once; you can easily fit computer time into thirty minute to an hour segments in your normal schedule. This will allow you to continue your life while still learning.

Don’t Open Browsers You Don’t Need

An important note on studying on your computer is browsers. If you open too many of them than some of them aren’t for school or study purposes. Unwanted distractions (or even wanted distractions) will simply work to make studying take longer. They will also lessen your concentration and your motivation. Say no to Facebook until you finish studying.

No Games

Games are also distractions. The only problem with games is that they can be a great deal more distracting then even Facebook.  Close the application, take the CD out of your computer and forget about fighting that Boss for an hour or two. He will still be there when you finish studying.

Make Lists of Useful Sites

Some sites are more useful for study than others. Making a list of useful sites can save you time when you are looking for research material. Try jotting down notes on web domains such as Cliffsnotes.comso that you can access them quickly and easily. Many websites provide free content that will help you study.

Don’t Overdo It

Staring at a computer for too long can make you dizzy or nauseas and can even strain your eyes. Make sure you use proper lighting while you study and always remember to take breaks. Taking short breaks can refresh your mind so that you are less tired and will memorize and absorb information more efficiently. 

Online Study Guides For Students

If you’re studying at an online college you can sometimes miss the benefits of studying with a classroom or having a teacher who will immediately answer all of your questions. But don’t worry; there are plenty of online study aids that make up the difference (and more) for online students.

Spark Notes

Spark Notes is one of the most popular study guides on the planet. It features thousands of hand-written notes, reviews, guides and summaries on hundreds of different subjects. They also feature blogs, videos and helpful study guides and tips on literally every college study subject known to man. They also feature unique test prep advice, questions and information that will get you ready for almost any college prep test you can take.

Grade Saver

Grade Saver is intended to help you get better grades on tests, assignments and any studies you might happen to be involved in. Saver includes study guides for a lot of literature, including popular and new authors, college application test essays and even writing help to improve your writing skills. Best of all, anyone can use it and it is completely free.

Cliffs Notes

You’re probably familiar with the little books that you have to purchase to use as study aids. Guess what; all of these notes are available in an easy to read and easy to use online format. Notes come in pretty much every subject available so all you have to do is find the right topic, read and complete your research.  You can also get free test preparation and professional exams through the website. Most online Cliffs’ notes are free as well which will save you a lot of money!

Pink Monkey

Pink Monkey offers free study guides, book notes, test prep and more for free. Tips are offered for high school and college students. The site also offers a digital library, study notes and even college planning aids. If you register with the site you can participate in activities, compete to win a $1,000 scholarship and more.

Study Guide Zone

Study Guide Zone is full of study guides on pretty much anything you can think of. It includes an index of pretty much every college test known to man, test preparatory material, practice exams and more. The goal of the website is to allow you to practice your test taking skills so you can ace the real thing. 

Review of Phoenix University Online

Phoenix University is without a doubt one of the largest online schools available. They have literally hundreds of courses and physical campuses in multiple states. Their main campus is based in Phoenix, however; most of their students study through their online study portal.

If you are considering attending the University of Phoenix then you should be interested in the school, its courses and its study policies. Here is a quick and helpful overview.

Courses

Courses at Phoenix University online include a wide variety of subjects. The school features 9 schools of education and offers associate, bachelor and master degrees as well as diplomas and certificates. Schools include the School of Business, School of Advanced Studies, College of Education, College of Nursing, College of Criminal Justice and Security, College of Humanities, College of Social Sciences, College of Natural Sciences and the College of Information and Systems Technology.

Students

There are over 300,000 students studying at Phoenix University and many of them study online. Statistics show that more than 60% of students are female and that more than 70% are either mothers, holding a full time job or both. On average, about 80% of students graduate within 25% of their allotted study time. Admissions are free which means that anyone with the money to attend can attend.

Accreditation

Phoenix University is accredited for most of their programs and is a member of the Northern Association of Schools and Colleges. The University holds regional accreditation by the Higher Learning commission as well special accreditation on several of its programs. The school of business is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Schools and Business Programs, the Master of Education degree is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council and some of their nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Accreditation.

Teaching Method

 Phoenix University uses a 20-25 student-teacher study hour per week (meaning you will spend this much time studying material directly given to you by your teacher. The rest of the time you will be expected to study on your own. You will also be expected to work with online teams of other students to complete projects. This is intended to help develop your teamwork and your ability to work well with others at a real job.

Is It A Good School?

One of the biggest questions about attending any online school is it a good school. Is it worth your time and money to attend and can you use your degree to get a good job. With most schools it is easy to answer yes or no, however; with Phoenix university things are a bit more complicated. For starters, you can get a very good job with a degree from the school; however; many employers will prefer someone with a degree from a great deal of other schools. Phoenix makes up for this by providing relatively cheaper tuition than many other schools. If you want to earn your degree and prove yourself through work experience than this is a very good school; if you would rather get a degree and immediately qualify for a great job, you might want to consider going elsewhere and paying more. 

Online Forums For Medical Students

                                  

Studying for your medical degree online can sometimes mean making sacrifices. For example; you won’t have any fellow students and freely available teachers to talk to; ask questions or to find help for your studies. However; today is the digital age. You are studying online so there is no reason why you shouldn’t find fellow students online.

Here are a few medical student forums that should be especially helpful to you.

Medical Assistant

Medical Assistant is for students studying to be a medical assistant (doh!). Forums and chatty forum dwellers are happy to assist you on information relating to medical assisting. The forums especially focus on what you need and what you will have to do in order to become a certified medical assistant which is perfect for just about anyone.

All Nurses

All Nurses is a great forum for nurses of all ages. No matter what your education is (student to full RN) you can come here to talk to other nurses, ask questions and help other nurses out. The site is administrated by a staff of RN nurses and is neatly organized into sections for easily finding information.

Student Doctor

Student Doctor Forums is filled with students, full-fledged doctors and everything in between. The community offers advice, help, answers to questions and pretty much anything else you might think of. Plus, you get to talk to other doctors and see if they like their job and maybe even find out why you shouldn’t sleep through that biology test….

Radiology Forums

For anyone who has anything to do with radiology, this forum is a gold mine. Radiology forums lists everything from patients, positions (for patients, get your mind out of the gutter), machines and even job search. With all of that at your fingertips, there is no real reason to look anywhere else for your peers and superiors in the Radiology world.

Society of Diagnostic Medicine Sonography

If you don’t know what Sonography (ultrasound) you probably don’t belong on this forum. The site contains pretty much everything an ultrasound technician might want to know about positions, machines, techniques, information and etc. You have to be a SM in order to join the site. However; the people administrating the site are not. 

Even if you are studying at one of the best schools online, online study can often mean that you lose the benefits of interacting with other students. But, in today’s world of web interaction, there is absolutely no need that it has to. Google plus is just one of a great deal of sites that allow multi person chat and even multi-person video chat.

Google + Circles

Google + actually works a lot like both twitter and Facebook (sort of a marriage between the two) with a lot of great extras added in. For starters you can add all of your classmates, or anyone you happen to find online who studies the same subject as you, to a circle. Then you can label that circle and they will always show up with the label that they are in your class. (Keeping track of friends made simple).

Google + Video Chat

Google video chat is another great tool you can use with your circles. For example, you can set up a chat room where you can interact with your circles on video. You can limit which circles can access the chat (no having your parents in your study group…) and you can limit what people can enter your chat (get rid of that annoying person who keeps hitting on you…). Best of all, video chat is one of the easiest and most fulfilling ways to interact with other people.

Find People

Another great tool for setting up your Google + study group is that it allows you to find people, and sometimes by what they do or study rather than by name. This is a great tool for adding people to your group. You can also set your chat group up as permission only. This means that you will have the ability to screen everyone who uses your video or chat group.

Time Chats

Guess what, you can invite people to show up for a study session at a certain time. This means not only will everyone show up at the right time also that no one will miss out because they forgot it was another day.  This can be used to set up regular ‘study group’ meetings or whatever else you want to do with it. Best of all, if you have the right apps installed, you can access your chat group right from your mobile! 

Best College Student Chat Sites

As you probably know, one of the only disadvantages of studying at an online college is that you miss out on making friends who are interested in the same things as you. But guess what, you don’t have to miss out on it! Online chat rooms are a great way to interact with other people (even while you study) and with student chat rooms; you can easily find people who are studying the same things as you to make friends or even to organize a study group!

ICQ

ICQ is a fun, colorful chat room for college students that not only features an easy and open chat group room but does not require that you sign up to the site in order to try it out. Log in as a guest or create a username and chat with students from all over the world on a group or one to one basis. ICQ is very simple, easy to use and has tons of different chat rooms for pretty much every age group and interest.

Chat Center

Chat Center is an easy to use website with a very basic layout and a couple of different student chat rooms by age group and student intent. The bright colors of the website can however; get a little annoying after a while. However; for connecting with students, it’s easy to use and can be quite fun.

Chat Avenue

Chat Avenue is a great chat room that requires a Java plug in to run (must be up to date) and is only marred by a few adult advertisements on the site (mostly directing users looking for adult entertainment towards sites more suited for the use). The chat room requires that all users be 16 or older which is great for keeping in touch with college students rather than high school students.         

                                                                                 

Chat Zone

Chat zone is yet another, free student chat room; however, there are a lot of teenagers still in highschool on this one so if that bothers you, pick another chat room. Chat zone requires you to submit your age before entering the chat room.  The chat room features a simple interface that is easy to use and doesn’t take much time to adjust to.

College Chat

College chat house is a great site just because it has a lot of different rooms, a simple muted interface and free moderation to keep unwanted topics away from the chat. College chat also has a lot of users which is great for making lots of friends (or just a few). Rude users, spam users and etc. are all banned from the site (kicked from chat) in order to make everyone elses chat a pleasant experience. As a college chat room, this is one of the best due to the moderation and the clean chat forum. 

The Facts About Studying Online

So you want to study at an online college? You’ve probably already decided that you should get a few more facts together before you make a concrete decision which is why you’re here.  Whether you’ve heard stories about online study or just want to know the real facts, you are in the right place! Here are a few common myths about studying online and the real facts!

1.       An Online Degree Isn’t As Respected As A Traditional Degree

False! Online degrees are every bit as respected as a traditional degree because your employer can see that you have done the work. The only catch here is that the online degree is only respected if you attend an accredited college but this rule holds true for a traditional college too! Moral: As long as you attend an accredited university or college, your degree will be respected no matter where you choose to study!

2.       I Can Get A Degree In A Few Months Online

False! As nice as this offer sounds it is not actually possible with a real degree. Any school that offers this type of degree is just offering you a piece of paper that looks like a degree. This type of degree cannot be used to get a job and is actually illegal! However; there are online programs that allow you to study at an accelerated pace so that you may cut a year or two from the course of your study.

3.       Studying Online Is More Convenient

True! In fact, very, very true! If you study online then you can do your coursework and study from the comfort of your own home instead of spending your valuable time in commute or paying for an expensive dormitory room.  Best of all, you can study at any time of day or night and anywhere that you can take your laptop, plus studying online means you can submit your work online as well which means you can avoid the hassle of printing your papers out!

4.       I Can Have A Job While I Study At An Online College

Yes you can! Because studying online lets you study at any time of the day you can study before or after work with no problems whatsoever expect being a little bit tired!  This means that while you study online you can continue your adult responsibilities of keeping a job or taking care of family!

5.       There Aren’t Very Many Online Schools

False! In fact, most colleges today have an online division that allows you to study from home with little or no campus visits at all! There are also many colleges such as Phoenix University Online that are almost solely dedicated to online study with more than 60% of their students online! 

Top Five Online Medical Libraries

Whether you are studying to be a medical assistant, a nurse or a spinal surgeon, you need books and material to reference while doing research and papers. As you probably know quite well, those books are expensive and can make it hard to live frugally on your college budget. So, what do you do? Turn to online libraries. Most online libraries are completely free and/or charge a low fee for an entire year worth of basically free medical books (Imagine $150 per year instead of $170 per book…) Here are five of the best online medical libraries for your use!

PubMed

PubMed is one of the largest online medical libraries available and many of the articles and textbooks available can be used as reference sources for medical papers. PubMed features an online library of over 21 million citations, magazine articles, newspaper articles and book excerpts that you can use for your research! PubMed is affiliated with the National Library of Medicine.

National Library of Medicine

The National Library of Medicine is the National Governments online medical research resource that is available to users for free. The National Library of Medicine features a full library book index, digital books, gene, nucleoid, and biomedical databases. Access to articles, e-books and research papers, grant and fund information and much more!

Research Medical Library

The Research Medical Library offers books, medical citations, articles and more through their online website. Research Medical Library uses an easy to use search system and does search several medical library database’s other than their own. This means that by searching on only one website, you can find your book, even if it is not on the website you are looking on!

Medical Research Library of Brooklyn

The Medical Research Library of Brooklyn features a search system, serial number list, electronic book list of over 2,000 titles, information resources, inter-library resources and much more. The site is an EDU hosted site which means that all material is generally automatically approved for use as reference or study material.

Georgetown Libraries

Georgetown Libraries is the library of Georgetown University Medical School. The library features an article database, ebooks, library catalogue, mobile access, research news, live help, as well as convenient library sections for biology, ethics, science and etc. 

If you are interested in starting an art and design career then you might want to consider studying for your degree online. Today, most degrees are available online and many schools have online study options.  Here are five schools that offer online art degrees!

Full Sail University

Full Sail University is a college that is dedicated completely to the arts; fine, practical and science. Full Sail University offers more than 40 online programs including graphic design, web design, creative writing, game design, music business, mobile development and more. Tuition fees for Full Sail University are about $20,000 per year plus cost of supplies and books; however, students are eligible for student aid as the school is accredited.

Art Institute of Pittsburgh

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh offers more than 40 online study programs but focuses on Graphic Design, Culinary Arts and Media Arts. The Institute has five colleges of education including the School of Culinary Arts, The School of Media Arts, the School of Fashion, the School of Design and the School of General Education. The average cost per study per year is about $25,000. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Art Institute of Philadelphia

The Art Institute of Philadelphia is very similar to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with almost exactly the same tuition fees and study courses. The Institute offers online courses, evening and weekend study options and a career opportunities department to help prepare students for using their learning to find a career!

International Academy of Design & Technology

The International Academy of Design & Technology features four schools of learning, Design, Fashion, Media Arts and Technology & Business. Programs include Audio Production, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Internet Marketing, Photography, Retail Merchandise Management and Web Design & Development. Tuition costs are about $20,000 per year.

DeVry University

DeVry University offers both online and offline study and more than 60 online degrees. Online art degrees include Web Graphic Design, Multimedia Management, and Education. Courses are about $20,000 per year and DeVry University accepts credit transfers from other Universities. 

5 Online Nursing Programs

If you are interested in attending an online nursing program than you should be interested in learning about a few of the best online nursing programs available. Depending upon the school, an online nursing program will vary in content, quality and in the speed that you can finish it. Here are five, distinguished online nursing programs.

Kaplan University

Kaplan University is a small university offering online nursing programs. The school offers nursing classes for Associate, Bachelor and Master of nursing as well as individual course certificates for Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator and etc. The school’s nursing program has been accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing commission and has been distinguished as an exceptional course in nursing.

Drexel University Online

Drexel University Online is not an extremely popular school, however, it offers very high quality online nursing courses that are equal to or better than almost anything else you can find online. The school offers RN to BSN studies (Bachelor to Master) and studying the course online will allow you to continue your work as a nurse while you study. The school also offers on campus RN studies should you not already have your RN license.

Capella University

Capella University offers a wide variety of nursing courses including Doctor of Nursing, medical management, Nurse Educator, Diabetes Nursing, RN to BSN and much more! Capella University’s school of medicine is distinguished for quality and for turning out invaluable, educated nurses. Capella University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.  

Georgetown University

Georgetown University not only offers its own nursing programs but has its own hospital where you can practice and find work after earning your online nursing degree! The University also features its own medical library that is available digitally to its online students and is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education which is the leading accreditation council for medical schools. The school offers bachelor, Master, doctoral, joint and certificate programs in nursing.

Walden University

Walden University  offers online nursing programs for doctorate, master and post-master nursing. (RN, BSN, individual courses).  RN courses are not available online; however, they are available at the schools on campus facility. Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.