College can be an exciting time of your life. Your college years are a time for both self-discovery and learning about the world around you. Although not all your learning will take place in a classroom, mastering the material in your college courses will help you become a better thinker and a well rounded individual. Fortunately, there are many downloadable and free resources available that can help you ace your college classes. Here are five of the best places to download free college resources.

1. OWL At Purdue

Struggling in an English or writing course? Need help writing a research paper? There are plenty of helpful resources at the online writing labs website run by Purdue University. In addition to the many helpful resource guides that offer advice on a variety of writing topics, you can also download the Purdue OWL podcasts.

2. Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Open Courseware

Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers free course materials and resources for thousands of different classes. You can download lecture notes and course videos that can provide valuable supplemental instruction. If you are having difficulty understanding a particular professor, these materials can help clarify any troublesome points. You can even download exams so that you can see how much of the course material you’re actually retaining. Although you might associate MIT with science courses, there are course resources for classes across many academic disciplines.

3. Project Gutenberg

Instead of spending money on a textbook for class, check to see if you can find your resources free on Project Gutenberg. This website offers downloadable versions of many books in the public domain. You can even download audio resources of some titles.

4. University of California Irvine

University of California Irvine offers free downloadable course resources for many of its classes. Many of their courses teach very specific skill sets, such as learning musical pitch or understanding your personal finances. There are even some courses available in Spanish.

5. iTunes Podcasts

Did you know that you can access tons of free educational material through the iTunes store? In addition to the many podcasts produced by universities, you can find independent podcasts on a variety of topics that can be an excellent supplement to the material from your coursework. Free educational videos are also available.

BONUS: Check Your University's Offerings

Although free resources vary widely from institution to institution, check with your college's IT center to see what software and other free resources are available to you.‍

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