Five Websites To Guide You Through College

By Makani Speier-Brito on June 14, 2015

College Prowler a.k.a. “Niche”

Niche provides a real-life, no frills summary about the Best and Worst of the college that you are attending. The reviews are legitimate, written by students, for students. My favorite feature of this site is the ability to input specific preferences for where you want to attend college. It is like a matchmaker for the college that fits you. You have the ability to sign up for a free account to submit a review for your college. And once you sign up, Niche politely does not spam your inbox. I return to Niche because the categories they provide are detailed and relevant. I enjoy reading what students write about UC Santa Cruz. For example, at UCSC, students weigh in on food served in the dining halls to the percentage of girls to boys. The web layout is also user friendly and easy to navigate.

2. Rate My Professor

The reviews written on Rate My Professor are somewhat biased, generated

by passionate students. Some reviews are written by students upset about their ‘F’ received in a class and trying to settle a score with a professor. Most of the reviews are not combed through, leaving for grammatically sloppy reviews as compared to the reviews on Niche. Rate My Professor has received a makeover in the past year.Who doesn’t love the hot chili pepper as a fun way to announce a professor’s attractiveness? Please, if you choose to write a review about a former professor on Rate My Professor, let your words be in good taste. In your review, focus on the professor’s teaching style and less on a rant of ‘How dare she fail ME?!’. Check in with yourself about how you feel before you type.

3. Your College ‘.edu’ Email

Okay, this is not a website, but I think it should be included on this list because of its importance. Your ‘edu’ email which stands for education, is an e-mail address assigned to you during your freshmen year. For UC Santa Cruz, our email is powered by Google also known as gmail. It is how the college contacts you by informing you electronically of current events at your school. It is also where your professor might remind of you upcoming due dates.

Last year, it became a good forum to communicate for group projects, though I believe meeting in person is more beneficial than email. The amount of e-mails received daily can be overwhelming. Various departments within the university file their way into your gmail account. Realistically, no student reads through every single e-mail in the inbox.

4. Zimride

Zimride is a website where students list carpool rides. Zimride is a wonderful tool for traveling to visit family or friends. Need a ride to the airport? It is a free service mostly utilized by college students. The driver posts the dates to their desired location and list how many seats they have available. Most rides range from $15 to $30 depending on the destination. If you want a ride from Santa Cruz to San Jose (which is the most popular route for slugs) $15 is usually the desired fee. Most students post rides to meet a friend and cover the cost of gas. Zimride account also links to the driver’s Facebook account if you want to screen your driver before sharing a ride.

5. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a networking site for professionals. This is a great spot to go if you want to be hired by a company post-graduation. LinkedIn is like Facebook but for jobs. Instead of friend requests you receive ‘connections’ allowing you to view their profile. Former employers may also vouch for your skill set. If you aim to be recognized for your skills, then create a free account and upload your resume. It also allows you to maintain an online presence for future employers. While attending college, you may also begin building your LinkedIn account by documenting your work experience as you progress towards graduation.