COLLEGE LIFE
Life After High School Handbook (click to view)
Emergency numbers:
Police/fire/paramedics: 911
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Alcohol/Drugs emergency Oregon: 541-997-8509
Poison Center: 1-800-222-1222
Crisis Counseling: 1-888-989-9990
PFLAG Oregon: 541-991-8550
Work Source Oregon (jobs): 541-997-1913
Planned Parenthood Oregon: 541-902-7861
Legal Aid: 1-800-485-1017
Oregon Youth Line: 877-968-8491
National AIDS Hotline: 1-800-342-2437
National Teen Dating Helpline: 1-866-331-9474
National Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-800-448-4663
Apps
Dictionary: a handy app to have with you all the time.
EasyBib: Scan the book bar code to generate the bibliographical or works cited notation
Office Lens: Take pictures of whiteboards or documents; Office Lens cleans them up, makes them readable, and saves in a variety of formats.
Safetrek: Press the button on the app and hold it, to notify local law enforcement that you need help. Cost is $2.99 per month (or $2.50 per month if you purchase by the year).
Uber or Lyft: See below (in the Travel section) for the website links
Venmo: Send and receive money electronically, pay using your cell phone, transfer money to your bank accoun
Turboscan: Use your phone to scan and store documents, receipts, notes, whiteboards, photos, etc.
Suggested Reading
The College User's Manual, Courtney O'Banion Smith
College 101: A Girl's Guide to Freshman Year, Julie Zeilinger
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
15 Minutes to a Better Interview, Russell Tuckerton
Freshman Survival Guide, Nora Bradbury
Getting from College to Career, Lindsey Pollack
How to Survive Your Freshman Year, Mark W. Bernstein et al
Life Hacks, Keith Bradford
The Naked Roommate, Harlan Cohen
Stuff Every College Student Should Know, Blair Thornburgh
The Secrets of College Success, Lynn Jacobs and Jeremy Hyman
The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College, Joshua Piven et al
Videos:
What I Wish I Knew Before College (12:12)
College Tour (2:54)
WEBSITES
Academics
EasyBib: Generate bibliographical or works cited notatioins for books by simply entering the title or ISBN number
EdX: Lots of great free online courses from top universities
Flashcard Machine: This free site has a huge library of flashcards on a wide variety of subjects, or make your own
Google Scholar: A web search engine for scholarly material; very useful for research projects
Grammerly: Checks for and eliminates grammatical errors in your writing. Also contains a plagiarism detector.
Khan Academy: Need extra help with a class, or a refresher on a course you took in high school? You might find help here, in the form of short videos on a wide variety of academic subjects.
Mathway: An online math and science problem-solving tool with explanations
Prezi: An alternative to power point for presentations
Quizlet: Make flashcards, quizzes, games, and study guides for many different college and high school subjects
Wolfram Alpha: An amazing "knowledge engine" where you can get information and answers in just about any subject: math, science, engineering, history, language, sports, etc.
Books
Abe Books: Books, fine art, and collectibles (owned by Amazon)
Afford a Book: Discount prices on textbooks and other books for college
Big Words: Compares prices on textbooks and other items
Campusbooks: Buy, rent, and sell textbooks
Cheapest Textbooks: Buy, rent, and sell textbooks
Chegg Books: Buy or rent textbooks at discount prices
Project Gutenberg: 56,000 ebooks for free - many 'classics' and older great literature
Slugbooks: Buy or rent textbooks at discount prices
Textbook rentals: Compares rental prices at dozens of sites
Textbooks: Buy (and sell) textbooks - discount prices
Valorebooks: Buy, rent, and sell textbooks
College Life
Critical Resources for First Year Students from Oregon GearUp
Harlan Cohen: Videos, webinars, a blog, and other useful stuff from the author of The Naked Roommate
Naked Roommate: The website for the book by that name
Naked Roommate Boot Camp: Workshops for a fee ($97.00)
Computer Data Storage
Dropbox: Reliable and safe cloud storage; better than backing up your hard drive.
Google Drive: Same idea as Dropbox: cloud storage for your documents
Finances and Financial Aid
American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC): A tax credit of up to $2,500 per year for undergraduate education. May be claimed by your parents if you are a dependent, or by you if you pay your own expenses and taxes. If the credit brings the amount of tax you owe to zero, you might get a refund of up to $1,000.
Career Onestop: A U.S. Department of Labor scholarship search site
FAFSA: Be sure to renew your FAFSA each year
Individual Development Account (IDA): A savings program for low-income families. If you qualify based on financial need, IDA will set aside $3 for every $1 you save up to $3,000 of your savings. Thus, if you save $3,000 IDA will add another $9,000 for a total of $12,000.
Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC): For those who qualify based on income level, this is a $2,000 tax credit that can be used each year for college expenses. Cannot be used along with the American Opportunity Tax Credit, so this one is often used for graduate work which is not covered under the AOTC.
Nerd Wallet: A very useful unbiased site for financial information about credit cards, banking, investing, mortgages, loans, insurance, money management, financial, aid, careers, etc.
Oregon Promise: Must be renewed each year that you are in community college. Pay attention to the number of quarter or semester hours you have taken, because there is a limit to how many credits Oregon Promise will pay for.
OSAC: Not just for high school seniors entering college; some scholarships are for college and/or transfer students. For a list of scholarships listed by OSAC that apply to college students, click on the link to "OSAC Scholarships" at the bottom of this page.
OSU Scholarship Database: a searchable database for OSU scholarships
Portland State University Transfers Finish Free If you have completed at least 30 quarter credits (20 semester credits) after high school with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 and you have FAFSA/Pell Grant eligibility, you can complete your 4-year college degree at PSU at no cost for tuition and fees.
Scholarship Monkey: Tons of scholarships for college and graduate students
University of Oregon Scholarships for Continuing and Transfer Students
WorkSource Oregon may pay up to $4,500 of your community college or trade school expenses if you are working toward a technical certificate or you are enrolled in a trade school. Contact your local WorkSource Oregon office for more information.
Jobs
Craigs List Job listings locally by state, region, and category
Eco Employ Environmental jobs and careers
Eco Jobs Environmental career opportunities
iHirechefs Chef jobs in Oregon
Indeed Job listings by location and/or category
Indeed Culinary Arts jobs in Oregon
Linkedin: A networking site for professionals
Monster.com Listing of jobs throughout Oregon. Click here for job listings in other states.
Monster.com Chef jobs in Oregon
Snagajob: Job listings nationwide
Ziprecruiter: Job listings nationwide
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
Worksource Oregon Help with getting a job, gaining skills, exploring training options. To utilize Worksource Oregon, click here for instructions. You may also visit WorkSource Lane at 3180 Highway 101 in Florence or call the office at 541-997-1913. If you are looking for a job, this is the place to start.
Legal Assistance
American Bar Association pro bono service: This website links you with lawyers and law offices offering free advice and services to individuals who do not have the financial resources to pay for attorneys. This is referred to as "pro bono" legal assistance.
ABA Modest Means Program offers attorney assistance at reduced fees for those who cannot pay the full fee for an attorney.
Resume Builders
Google Docs: Free resume and cover letter templates from Google
Safety and Security
Sabre: Pepper spray, personal alarms, stun guns
Womenonguard: A wide selection of safety and security devices
Shopping
Flipp: Browse flyers for savings at stores near you; find coupons for product discounts and "clip" them directly to your customer loyalty card at a wide variety of stores.
Groupon: Get deals and discounts on dining, shopping, travel, classes, lodging, and more - based on your location.
Honey: Add this website to your browser, and it will automatically apply the best available coupons to your online purchases
Retail me not: Find discount coupons for savings on thousands of items at hundreds of stores
Student Rate: Student discounts on textbooks, clothing, travel, computers, insurance, etc.
UniDays: Online savings for students at hundreds of locations. Save on books, music, clothing, vitamins, bath and body products, travel, food, technology, etc.
Summer Opportunities
WWOOF: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms
HelpX: An online listing of farms, ranches, lodges, B&B's. hostels, and sailing boats looking for volunteer help in exchange for free room and board.
Taxes
IRS Form 1040EZ for tax filing if your financial information is relatively simple (be sure to use the form for the correct tax year)
TurboTax: Free if your information is simple; there are fees for more complicated tax returns
Technology
Academic Superstore: Hardware and software at discount prices
Apple: Education pricing on Apple computers and iPads
Dell University: Special pricing for college students on Dell computers
HP Academy: Up to 20% off of HP products
Journeyed: Software at discount prices
Macmall: Discounts on Apple products
Microsoft for students: Discount prices on Microsoft software
Travel and Transportation
Airbnb: Unique places to stay, restaurants, and experiences
AIG Travel Guard: Travel insurance
Carrentals: Discount prices on car rentals
Centers for Disease Control: Check this site for diseases if you're going to a foreign country
Cheapoair: Scours the Internet for good airline, hotel, and rental car prices
Fly: Discount prices on airline flights
Gas Buddy: Find the best prices on gas locally or for your trip
Hotels.com: Save money on hotels and vacation packages
Insure My Trip: Travel Insurance
Kayak: Another search site for good airline, hotel, and rental car prices
Kelly Blue Book: Look up the value of a new or used car (for buyers and sellers)
Passport Health: Find a local office if you need vaccinations for foreign travel
Priceline: Special prices on airfare, car rentals, hotels, and cruises. Beware: once you book it, you can't change it!
Statravel: A travel company (airline flights, hotels, car rentals) for students
Student Universe: Travel deals (flights, hotels, car rentals, and tours) for students
Uber or Lyft for your local transportation needs
U.S. Postal Service: Find a post office near you that issues passports