It is no doubt that the life of a college student is nothing glamorous. From the seemingly endless instant ramen dinners to sleepless nights trying to meet deadlines, there are many times where one might countdown the days until graduation. However with all that being said, there are some perks to being a college student that if you don’t take advantage of now, you’re going to wish you did after graduation. So if you’re a Freshman trying to discover more about student discounts or a returning student just wanting to make sure you haven’t missed out on any, here are my top 5 that you should take advantage of.
In no Particular Order:
1. Adobe Creative Cloud
Are you a creative person who enjoys photo/video editing? Or maybe you’re just plain bored in quarantine and you want to pick up a fun skill? Home to services like Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro, Adobe Creative Cloud is a great service that provides all of these things and more with a heavy discount for college students. Usually $52.99 a month, with your CSULB email you can have free access for a year and then just $20 for every subsequent year. I have personally used this service for things like editing YouTube videos, Digital Illustration, Instagram posts, and even for my marketing class. This is going to be one of the things I miss the most when I graduate. Even though there is no ranking in my list, I placed this first as this is the biggest “steal” in terms of price and value.
Learn more through this link:
2. UNiDAYS
For many of us, college is the first time we start to pay for things like clothes, shoes, hygiene products, and food all on our own. If you’re like me and describe yourself as a “broke college student”, you’re going to love UNiDAYS. This is a service that is accessed through their website or mobile app that organizes all the current discounts for college students with exclusive UNiDAYS discount codes. The best thing is there is no catch, all you need to do is sign up through your school email. They even separate the promotions into six different categories: Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle to just name a few. I mainly use this when I need to buy a pair of jeans or shoes, but be careful— once your non-university friends find out you have this perk be prepared to receive messages asking if you can send them codes for that new pair of shoes they have been eyeing.
Available on mobile app stores or find out more here: https://www.myunidays.com/US/en-US
3. Streaming Video and Music
Like most people, I love listening to music but I hate being interrupted by ads and not having the ability to hand pick songs. One of the first things I did Freshman year at Long Beach was finally get rid of this problem by downloading Spotify Premium at a truly “premium” price. Regularly priced at $9.99 a month, its student discount slashes that in half to just $4.99. Another selling feature is the addition of Hulu and SHOWTIME (normally $5.99 and $10.99, respectively). If you’re not a fan of Spotify, Apple Music also offers a student membership for just $4.99 a month.
Find out more about Spotify Premium Student here: https://www.spotify.com/us/student/
Find out more about Apple Music here: https://music.apple.com/us/listen-now?itscg=20200&itsct=rv_eve&ls=1&mttnagencyid=2433&mttncc=US&mttnpid=305109&mttnsiteid=125115&mttnsubad=mus-106925677614&mttnsubkw=ag-106925677614-ad-477600969075
4. Amtrak
I found out about this discount when one of my friends expressed how frustrating it is figuring out how she has to travel back up North for the Holidays without a car. She expressed how she was afraid of flying and likes to avoid it as much as possible but also hates having her parents drive back and forth. This is when Amtrak, the train station, was introduced by another friend. Most of us in the conversation didn’t even know California had a public train system and thought it was an East Coast thing, but nope— Amtrak is in California and it offers 15% discounts for students. So, if you’re looking for a new way to travel back to your hometown or are looking for an excuse to visit places like San Francisco or San Diego, this is it!
Find out more here: https://www.amtrak.com/california-everyday-discounts-students?intcmp=wsp_deals-landing-page_link_ca-students_deals
5. Electronics: Apple and Microsoft
I’m always so surprised when I meet someone who doesn’t know that Apple and Microsoft offer student discounts. It is practically impossible to get through college without using some sort of desktop or laptop, so when you do make this big investment, never purchase full price! Once again: never purchase full price! Especially as CSULB students, the University Bookstore offers many discounts for electronics throughout the year. You even have the option of waiting, like me, for back to school season to purchase your MacBook and get a free pair of Beats Headphones (now you know why everyone seems to own a pair). So if you ever find yourself in the need for new electronics, always make sure to ask about student discounts. Even if it’s not a lot, it surely makes a difference.
Find out more about Apple student discounts here: https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop?&mnid=sU09thCvU-dc_mtid_1870765e38482_pcrid_472632990465_pgrid_13945969927_&cid=aos-us-kwgo-edu-bts-slid---product-&mtid=1870765e38482&aosid=p238
Find out more about Microsoft student discounts here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/b/education
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