Free or Discounted Services For College Students
Contributed by UC Irvine student writer Tim Kim.
The amount of money you need to get through college is undeniably a lot. But did you know that you can get many free products and discounts as a college student? I want to list a few here:
Microsoft Office 365 / Adobe Creative Cloud
Did you know that you can get Microsoft Office Suites and Adobe Creative Cloud through your UCI account? Even though Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, and Google Slideshows are also great programs, growing up in Korea, I was more familiar with Microsoft Office Suites.
As a Business Administration major, I needed Microsoft Excel for my MGMT 7 and MGMT 101 classes. Luckily, you do not have to pay for any of these programs because you get access to them for free as long as you are a current UCI student! Being proficient in Microsoft Office Suites can also be helpful in improving your résumé, so I recommend you practice it a lot during your time at college.
Coursera (Free Online Courses)
Are you interested in learning more about professional skills in business, technology, health, or other areas without worrying about your GPA? UCI Division of Continuing Education offers free access to various online courses on Coursera, an online platform where professors and professionals from different industries share their professional knowledge. I wanted to learn about product/project management and Python, but I did not know where to start. Then, I was introduced to this fantastic website and learned about various professional knowledge and skills. Furthermore, they also provide you with a certificate once you complete a course, and you can also put this on your LinkedIn profile and résumé to stand out!
Github (Canva)
Do you need to make flyers for your club but don’t know where to start?
Canva is a great platform to use. When I was working as a student intern at the International Center, I needed to make flyers for many events. Since I didn’t have any knowledge about Photoshop, Canva became my primary website for graphic design. You can always use Canva for free, but Canva Pro gives you a lot of great features. Normally, you need to pay for Canva Pro Subscription, but Github actually offers students with a free 1-year-long Canva Pro subscription. If you are in charge of graphic design for your clubs or organizations, this free subscription will help you a lot!
UCI Libraries
You can get unlimited access to newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journals with your UCI email. As a student who grew up in Korea and read news articles for free, it was surprising to learn that Americans do not have this convenience. At first, I thought I needed to pay for these newspaper platforms, but one of my professors informed me of this service through the UCI Libraries. I’ve been using these newspapers to do research for all the essays I need to write for my classes ever since.
Second, UCI Libraries also offer the UCI VPN. Sometimes, you need to write a research paper with various peer-reviewed articles. UCI Libraries provide students with a lot of peer-reviewed articles, but the problem is that you can only access these articles when you are on the UCI network. In other words, you cannot access these articles when you are not on campus. However, UCI VPN allows you to read these articles off-campus. The UCI Office of Information Technology gives you instructions about using the VPN, so make sure you install it on your devices and use it during your time at UCI.
Besides these incredible resources, UCI Libraries also host various events and workshops for students. I’ll be talking about them a little more in the next section, but I highly recommend going to one of their workshops. I also heard that the Science Library has a Virtual Reality headset and a 3D printer. Isn’t that cool?
Student Center Resources
UCI provides students with various workshops and opportunities outside of the classroom. It is just impossible to keep track of all the events and workshops happening on campus because there are so many! I know that maintaining a good academic life is already a big challenge for college students. But if you want to expand your knowledge and get more opportunities, these free workshops, events and student resources will become your best friends. If you want to update yourself regularly with all of these opportunities, I highly recommend signing up for the newsletters of the centers you’re interested in such as the DREAM Center of the Womxn Center for Success.
Facebook Groups
Facebook might look too old-fashioned. I also felt the same way at first because I barely used Facebook when I was in high school because I had other social media to communicate with other people. However, I highly recommend you making a Facebook account and joining groups for UCI. When I was admitted, I joined the “UCI Class of 2024” group. At first, it was inactive, but the group was soon bombarded with a lot of information about club involvements and new opportunities. I could find so many opportunities here, so I highly recommend you doing the same thing! And if you are willing to explore more opportunities, you can also join other class levels’ Facebook groups. Upperclassmen in these groups might sell you unwanted iClikers or textbooks for cheaper prices!
Various Companies with Student Discounts
Last thing I want to mention is that you can save a lot of money just for being a college student. A lot of companies tend to offer discounts for college students. These discounts are not specifically dedicated to UCI students, but you can definitely apply for these student discounts to save some money! If you want to be more financially responsible and learn how to budget yourself, these discounts can help you a lot. I am listing only the popular ones, but whenever you need to buy something, make sure you ask the company whether they offer a student discount or not. There’s nothing wrong with asking this, so don’t be shy!
