Culture
08 Sep 17

Student Special: YouTube channels that can help you with the college experience

University is hard. You are going to have lots of fun, but there will be some very stressful times ahead. Still, don’t worry too much. With a few simple life skills, you can make it through anything. If you can cook, clean, study properly, and have access to information that can make sense of some of the more confusing parts of your lectures, you will be able to breeze through tertiary education. Thankfully, we live in the digital age, with quick and easy access to the best teacher you will ever encounter – the internet. Check out these YouTube channels, which will help you become a better student and live a balanced life.

The School of Life

This YouTube channel is the side project of Alain De Botton. This British intellectual has dedicated his previous work to exploring education as a source of emotional development. This channel is an expansion on that same train of thought. Whereas many of your courses in university might seem abstract and difficult to apply to the real-world, The School of Life presents topics in a straightforward way with a focus on practical knowledge that can help you navigate the turbulence of life. These are intelligent videos on subjects like sex, friendship and careers, while there are even brief overviews of major historical figures.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is an organisation that aims to provide educational information online for free. Since it was founded in 2006, it has built up an extensive library of incredibly useful resources. This is one of the best channels to help with topics you encounter in your classes. While the channel predominately focuses on topics related to STEM courses, it also offers videos to help you learn about such subjects as economics, art history, world history, and grammar. It is better to navigate the material through the official website, but all of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If you take the time to do the work, you are likely to learn more from Khan Academy than you will from your actual professors.

Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank, the author of the blog collegeinfogeek.com, has dedicated his time to helping university students get better at being, well, students. His YouTube channel offers videos loaded with tips and tricks to be able to hack your brain and develop all the skills you will need to succeed in class and in all areas of your life. With videos telling you the best way to be able to take notes, memorise what you read, and how to change your habits to maximise your time and energy, this YouTube channel covers most of the things you need to go from average to the top of your class.

Clean My Space

Even though it is very easy to be able to sink into a life of leisure and let the empty pizza boxes stack up until they rival the skyscrapers of Dubai, don’t do it. There are plenty of channels that can help you learn how to clean effectively but Clean My Place, the brainchild of Melissa Maker, is one of the best. She has videos that can teach you all about how to clean every surface and fabric. Keep your place clean, and your mental health will benefit from it. It is proven that a clean place reduces stress and helps to keep your life organised and on-track. Also, it helps you do your part to keep humanity safe. Some student places look like the next great plague that will decimate humanity is growing in their kitchen sink. Don’t be like that. Pick up a sponge. Please.

Howcast

With videos about everything from how to cook pizza to how to play guitar, this channel will be able to fill out any remaining holes in your basic education. Use this to develop new hobbies, learn how to cook for yourself properly, and anything else you could ever desire. A healthy diet and a gratifying hobby will not only make you feel better and allow you to keep your stress levels in check, but it will also make you more confident and more attractive to that cute classmate you have been eyeing in your lectures.

Honorable mentions: FoodWishes