Nerdify Reviews 6 Online Resources to Help Freshmen Learn and Study
While professors are experts in their fields of study, it doesn’t necessarily mean that learning from them exclusively will teach you everything you want or need to know about a given subject. Online learning has boomed in popularity, and as a result, gaining an education remotely has become more accessible. A plethora of resources can teach students about any given subject, from the most basic to complex topics. Because so many resources are available, it can be challenging to decipher which sites are reputable and teach correct information. Our Nerdify reviews experts have rounded up a list of some of the best places you can browse to learn more about your school subjects — and beyond.
1. SparkNotes
While this site should not be used in place of doing the required reading for a class, SparkNotes is an excellent resource for studying literature. They have summaries — often broken down by the chapter — of most literature in the canon taught in schools, summarizing and analyzing the text. It’s beneficial to check SparkNotes, for example, when you’re writing an essay and can’t remember a character’s name — as they have summaries of the main cast — or are a bit fuzzy on specific plot points. Reddit users highly recommend SparkNotes’ “No Fear” section, in which they have the antiquated original text paired alongside a version in Modern English, so the literature is more easily understood. SparkNotes has video breakdowns of their most famous texts, and they even provide practice quizzes for you to take to prepare for upcoming exams.
2. Crash Course
This learning organization was founded by brothers, and writers, John and Hank Green. John — most famous for his novel-turned-film “The Fault in Our Stars” — teaches literature and history courses while Hank teaches science courses. They are accompanied by various instructors going over statistics, theater, engineering, media literacy, ecology, film studies, and more. Their videos are extremely popular among those on Reddit because they are no-fluff and go into immense detail, often covering a wide breadth of knowledge in just about 10 minutes. Their lecture-style videos also have interspersed colorful animations that are as amusing as they are helpful, making them much more enjoyable than your professors’ bland Powerpoint presentations.
3. Khan Academy
Nerdify reviews experts suggest using this nonprofit founded by Sal Kahn that offers equitable, free education on topics like math, from basic algebra to calculus; computing; humanities; and even economics. They also have coding courses for those wanting to break into the tech industry. Students as young as kindergarteners can find content on the site, so Khan Academy is a great option for learning new subjects as well as brushing up on topics you might not have taken recently. Khan Academy is easy to follow, say many Reddit users, as the instructors draw diagrams while they are talking, ensuring students don’t get left behind trying to watch the video without needing to rewind nonstop.
4. Grammarly
Submitting an essay can be very stressful, worrying that typos might lead you to receive a lower grade than you’d like. Grammarly is a great application to proofread your work before hitting the “send” button. Depending on if you get the free version or subscription, you can get tips on improving correctness, engagement, delivery, style, and clarity. More than just underlining your mistakes, Grammarly also tells you why a suggestion for edits was made, allowing you to know how to prevent similar errors in the future. While the application is excellent, it is not a substitution for editing your own work. It does not provide content-related edits, just grammatical ones, so even if you have perfectly correct sentences, they might not be effective for an argumentative essay.
5. Audible
Students are often given hundreds of pages to cover between classes, leaving them little time to do much other than reading. Audible offers many pieces of classic literature in the audiobook format, allowing you to “read” your required texts for class while freeing your hands to do other tasks, like chores, commuting, crafting, and more. If you have difficulty paying attention to a traditional book, pairing your reading with an audiobook is an excellent way to guide your learning and keep you on track, say Nerdify reviews experts.
6. Coursera
Depending on the university you are attending or the specificity of your ideal course of study, your school might not cater exactly to your interests. To fill any educational gaps your major might leave, you can supplement your studies by enrolling in certificate classes through Coursera. It is a monthly subscription model that hosts courses from accredited universities, so you know your time and money are well-spent. Those wanting to learn more about their major — or even branch out and explore other courses of study — could benefit from adding a certificate to their resumes.
