Student’s Survival Kit: How to Purchase and Save on the Materials You Need Now and After Graduation
As a college student, you have probably noticed that your wallet seems a lot lighter than it has been before. When you go to purchase that coffee at six in the morning, you probably find yourself wondering where your money goes. With this handy guide, you will hopefully no longer be paying too much for expensive college supplies.
Companies realize how much you have to spend to get an education, and they want to make life just a little bit easier. We’ve found many places that offer discounts to college students, and most substantial are the discounts we have found on software and textbooks. Especially for those of you who plan on working in copywriting, dream of working in advertising creative, or plot to master multimedia, there are many supplies you are going to want to invest in while you get a discount.
Online Stores that offer discounts
University of Wisconsin: That’s right; the state offers a special discount just for being a college student. Mostly, discounts are on software (products such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Products, and Flash) but there are some good discounts on vacations, too.
Example:
| Microsoft Office from Wal-Mart: | $129.75-$439.74 |
| Microsoft Office from Wisconsin Website: | $72.00-$89.00 |
UW-Madison SWAP: The SWAP shop, located in Verona, WI, is a great resource for students looking to purchase used furniture, computers, projectors, etc.
Example:
| HP TC1100 Tablet PC from Amazon: | $449 |
| HP TC1100 Tablet PC from SWAP: | $126 |
Apple: Many students buy their iPods from e-Bay because they think it’s cheaper that way. Not many realize that if they purchase from Apple using their college discount, they get something brand-new for the same price as e-Bay. Also, if you buy something refurbished, it is almost better than new because it’s been checked over several times to make sure it works.
Example:
| Refurbished Classic 80GB iPod from Apple: | $188.00 (with warranty) |
| Refurbished Classic 80GB iPod from e-bay: | $189.00 (no warranty) |
Newegg: What does an egg have to do with anything? We’re not really sure, but this is a great technology site. If you want a new hard-drive or flash drive, check out this site first. It’s like Best Buy, but with better prices.
Example:
| 4 GB PNY flash drive from Wal-Mart: | $22.88 (plastic, cheap) |
| 4 GB Super Talent flash drive from newegg: | $9.99 (aluminum, fair) |
Chegg: Need a book for that ONE class, ONE time, which you will never read again? Chegg is our favorite site for inexpensive and easy textbook rental. Just pay one fee (saving yourself 65-85% per book), use the book for the semester, and ship (for free) back to Chegg. Have an old textbook that wasn’t bought back? Chegg buys those, too! And if all that isn’t enough, for each order on new books, rental books, and buyback books, Chegg plants a tree!
Example:
| They Say I Say by Graff from UW Bookstore, Bought: | $20.00/New |
| They Say I Say by Graff from Chegg.com, Rented: | $9.99/Sem. |
Amazon Textbook: A lot of people have discovered that you can use Amazon to buy a number of products, and we suggest it, too. But as a college student, another aspect of Amazon that you should check out is their textbooks. If you discover that, as a journalism student, you need a styleguide or dictionary, you can easily get one here.
Example:
| Writing With Style by Trimble from UW Bookstore: | $37.25/new |
| Writing With Style by Trimble from Amazon: | $11.45/used |
Ruckus: Find yourself spending a lot for CDs or I-tunes music? Ruckus allows you to download music for free, and it’s only for college students. Fill up your hard drive with tracks, even whole CDs, and never have to pay a dime. Be wary, though, because the downloaded files aren’t transferable to disc, iPod, etc. And the licenses must be renewed every 30 days, but it’s a good source if you like to use your own media player.
Example:
| Song from iTunes: | $1.00 |
| Song from Ruckus: | Free License |
Imeem: Imeem is similar to Ruckus, but Imeem holds an online collection of music and videos that you can listen to, legally, at will. Create playlists, save favorites, and track recent media. And it’s all online, in one easily accessible location. No pop-ups, no gimmicks. Just sign up free and start listening wherever you have an internet connection.
Example:
| Song from iTunes: | $1.00 |
| Song from Imeem: | Free Online |
Standard Communication Student Supplies
- PC or Mac- The labs aren’t always open, so having your own computer will come in handy.
- Mac-Buy a Mac if you are looking for a one-stop, reliable computer. Macs are known for their stability and their virtually virus-free interface. And they make all their own software, too, so software is all completely compatible and won’t freeze up the computer. Especially if you want to use your computer for graphics or graphic design, you will want a Mac. A Mac will run you anywhere from $600 to $3,000 (with the average around $1300).
- PCs-PCs are helpful if you want a cheap and easily replaceable alternative. PCs are available as cheap as $200, and you can find lots of people that sell theirs to upgrade.
- Flash Drive/External HD- This is handy in many classes, but it is especially helpful in your lab classes.
- Microsoft Office- This set of software will help you with assignments, so you don’t have to sit in the lab all day. Office is the standard for Word Processing with the program Microsoft Word.
Copywriting Supplies
- Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (1000+ pages) -In many of your classes, you’ll find a good dictionary will help you come up with that slogan late at night after you’ve drunk six cups of coffee.
- Bartlett’s Roget’s Thesaurus- You want to avoid using the same word too many times when writing a body copy. This book will save you.
- Rhyming Dictionary-This book will come in handy, especially during brainstorm.
- Small Notebook- Thought of a great headline? Those come and go, so have a notepad handy.
Advertising Creative Supplies
- Adobe Products- Designers definitely need to get this software so they can practice, play around and have fun. PLUS—Adobe bought both Dreamweaver AND Flash before their launch of CS3. Get everything in one!
Multimedia Supplies
- Adobe Products- Designers definitely need to get this software so they can practice, play around and have fun. And Adobe now owns Flash and Dreamweaver with the launch of CS3!
- BareBones/BBEdit- Their software is essential to HTML and text editing. No web author should be without.
Money-Saving tips you should know
- Don’t buy class books until you know you need them. If you buy training books for classes, such as a book on Photoshop, ahead of time, you may discover that you never touch the book. Try to hold off as long as possible, and if you do need a book, purchase or rent from Chegg.com.
- Don’t hold off on basic supplies. Especially in GenEd classes like ArtStudio, you will find fees and supplies that cost upwards of $100. As soon as you know you need them, find a good discount store online. Usually, stores will offer free shipping over $50, so take advantage and save some cash. But, be sure to order early to allow for up to 2 weeks’ shipping.
- Download free versions of products, such as Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word, before sinking all of your money into it. If you like them, use your student discounts to your advantage.
- Google Docs-Google Docs is an online resource where you can upload Microsoft Office documents and edit them (and store them) online. When you need to save them to your computer, you can convert your documents with the click of a button. Supported formats are Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. Go to www.docs.google.com for free sign-up.
- OpenOffice-A free program designed for students who can’t afford Microsoft Word. It doesn’t have all the cool gadgets of Microsoft Word, but it has the basics. You can save in any format that you need, including older versions of Word and Notepad. It also includes a version of Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel and the best part is that it’s free. Go to www.openoffice.com to download the free program onto your computer. You will never have to re-download unless you want the newest version.
- Wait to buy a new laptop until just before you graduate so you can use your student discount and have it up-to-date for the ‘real’ world.
- Try to use the software in the computer labs as much as possible. You are paying for the software in your tuition, so make the most of them.
- Free paper! Don’t pass up the printing services on campus.
- If you find yourself using a program more than once, ask your professor if you should invest in it.