News Information and Media Site: Best Semester Ever: Think Tech!

Here we are: Day 1 of BuzzFeed's Best Semester Ever course. And since it's just the beginning of the semester, today's goal is to lay the foundation that you'll need to be the most successful you can possibly be.

We're going to do it all through ~technology~, breaking things down into two categories — apps and internet hacks — that will help you prepare yourself for the best semester ever!

Why is technology such an important foundation for the semester? So much of the college experience has migrated online, from research databases to social platforms, that you need to be able to navigate the online world with ease to get the most out of your semester. And let's be real: You already spend so much time online — you might as well get as much out of it as possible.

DOWNLOAD SOME APPS!

Clear is perfect for creating to-do lists and keeping track of tasks.

IntelliDrink keeps track of how much you are drinking, taking into account your physical characterstics, to help keep you safe on those ~wild~ nights out.

Chegg helps you save time and money when it comes to getting textbooks.

Snap2PDF can capture handouts and turn them into PDFs that you can search.

And check out this post for even more apps that you might want.

LEARN THESE INTERNET HACKS

If you haven't already, sign up for Amazon Student to get free access to Prime for six months, followed by a 50% discount after that.

Learn to search for specific file types on Google. Add filetype:ppt or filetype:pdf at the end of your search to narrow results to only powerpoints or PDFs (respectively).

Use a simple online timer like Tomato Timer to keep track of how long you've spent working and remind you to take regular breaks.

Bookmark the Study Hacks blog. Written by a computer science professor, it's got plenty of tips to help you study without the stress.

For even more ways to use the internet to improve your semester, check out this post.

AND SOMETHING EXTRA TO THINK ABOUT

Although you can find tons of great resources, like the ones above, online, you shouldn't be spending all your time plugged in. Make sure to prioritize getting out and being active this semester. We'll focus more on physical health later in this course, but for now, start with the basics: Walk instead of taking the campus shuttle, or climb the stairs instead of using the elevator.