Student life is definitely stressful in bustling Singapore, where the population size means that competitiveness is part and parcel of everyday life. There are many things to worry about like studies, money, body image and relationships – it’s not easy figuring things out and living the life that you want to live!
Being a student means going through many life transitions, like moving up the education level and changing schools, enlisting into army (for the guys), joining new groups of friends, exploring new interests and maybe finding a significant other as well. It’s a rollercoaster process of self-discovery which ultimately depends on what you want for yourself! It always pays off to cultivate good habits or use tried-and-tested methods to get through some of the harder parts of student life. Here is a compiled list of the best lifesaving websites that you can rely on to get through the tougher times – be it organising time and money or finding a date!
1. Quora
Participate in an intellectual community that is inclusive and eager to learn. Take your learning outside of school and read up on your topics of interest on Quora, which is filled with interesting questions and answers. If you hate reading newspapers or watching the news but would like to learn to hold your own in school discussions or semi-formal dinner conversations, try enriching yourself through Quora. Not a day will go by that you don’t learn something new!
2. Keepmeout.com
It’s exam crunch time and you’re having problems focusing on what you need to do because of all the distractions online. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Reddit – you’re doing everything but revision and you desperately need some form of divine intervention at this point. If such is your academic life, try keepmeout.com, which is an innovative site that allows you to customise which sites you want to cut down on visiting. Keepmeout will give you warnings when you start to click on the site too often. Give this a go – it might just save your grades this semester.
3. InternSG
This is one of the best consolidated platforms for local internships. If you are in tertiary education or in the midst of a long school holiday and would like to gain some work experience to beef up your portfolio, try InternSG. It’s a very comprehensive website that has internships listed by categories to make your search easier. Many reputable companies and even international ones advertise with InternSG so you’re bound to have a plethora of choice. Internships not only boost your personal profile but also helps students to figure out which industries they might be interested in working in upon graduation. Don’t hesitate anymore and go for an internship! Chances will be that you have a great experience and make new friends.
4. TheProjector.sg
If you’re running out of things to do in our little island and you’re tired of all the shopping and eating, check out The Projector, a small independent cinema that screens arthouse films from all over the world. Many film festivals are also held at the historic movie theatre, located in the unconventional and unassuming Golden Mile Tower. Take small gatherings with friends off the beaten track! Grab some cheap and authentic Thai food in the area and catch a film or two at The Projector. Most tickets have student prices so you won’t have to worry about your entertainment budget.
5. Telegram
Telegram is a messaging app that is known for its high security and user friendliness. It can be opened on both your phone and your laptop, and conversations taking place on either platform will be reflected on both. Even if you switch phones, you will still have access to past conversations! There is also the secret chat where all your private messages are securely encrypted and destroyed. Chatting with this on your laptop is far less conspicuous than using FB chat.
6. Shopback.sg
ShopBack is a cashback website that helps online shoppers save money while shopping by offering them a certain percentage of cashback. The site has hundreds of merchants and all you have to do is go to ShopBack, click on the online shop of your choice and complete your purchase within the same window. The cashback will be credited into your ShopBack account and once you accumulate more than $10, you can transfer that money into your personal bank account! It’s great for all the shopaholics out there and vacation addicts who like browsing Groupon and Expedia – save on your holidays and shopping sprees! Your student wallet will thank you for it.
7. Book Depository
Cheap books and free delivery worldwide – what’s not to love? Book Depository is the number one online books retailer worldwide. They sell millions of titles from all sorts of genres so you won’t have a problem finding an exact title of even edition. The best part is that you don’t even have to purchase a minimum sum to receive free shipping! Do note that books will take around 2 weeks to ship so browse and pay in advance for your books to reach you in time for the school term!
8. Bibme.org
Your trusty assistant for any essay that requires citation! This website generates fully accurate citation according to any citation style that you opt for. Simply input the rough information and let them work it out for you. Font, punctuation, whatever – just leave it to the machine to produce your citation page for you and save time for other things!
9. BudgetBytes
One of the best online food blogs around, this one is perfect for students who want to experiment with cooking Western food on a low budget, or for students who might be going on an overseas exchange program and need to learn to cook for themselves. The author is meticulous but also straightforward – there are simple instructions that come along with pictures and she calculates everything down to the last cent so you know exactly how much money you need for the meal. Save your pennies for travelling and shopping!
10. Hostelworld
So broke you can’t even afford AirBnb? No one to travel with? Hostels are a great budget-friendly option that won’t break the bank. Take your school days as a chance to see the world. Travelling can be very affordable with the right prices and Hostelworld is definitely a great way to find cheap hostels to stay at all over the world. Try sharing a room with 7 or 9 other strangers and you’ll see how the price of a bed decreases dramatically. You can even make friends of different nationalities when you choose to backpack and hostel-hop! Start your adventure of a lifetime with Hostelworld – simply browse by country and date to find out more.
This article is brought to you by online cashback and coupon website ShopBack Singapore.
