Acer Aspire 5733

The winner of our best student laptop 2012 award is the Acer Aspire 5733 available for £369.99 on Amazon.

Specs:

• 6 GB RAM
• 2.4 GHz Intel i3 processor
• 640 GB hard drive.
• 15.6″ HD display
• Windows 7 (64 bit)

The Acer Aspire 5733 is a great looking laptop with a decent amount of RAM and hard disk space. The i3 processor is not the greatest but will definitely be good enough for most student based activities such s word processing, watching films and playing music.

Other useful features the laptop boasts are a built in card reader and webcam.

Overall, the Acer Aspire 5733 is a worthwhile laptop for any student to buy for going to university. Considering it’s specs, the laptop is incredibly good value for money.

Update (13/04/2012) If you have a bit more money to spend for £399.99 you can get a 17.3′ screen version the Acer Aspire 7740. However bare in mind that 17.3″ will make the laptop heavier (6 kg as opposed to 3.4 kg) and bulkier so may not be as portable if you carry your laptop around lots.

Related posts:

1. Top 12 Gadgets for Students 2011-2012
2. Choosing Broadband for a Student House (2011 – 2012)
3. Insuring yourself as a Student?

Initial Impressions

Before even opening the box a rather sleek-looking pen stares back at me through a thick layer of vacuum plastic, my initial thoughts as I stare back at it is that it looks quite fat for a pen,

On opening the box there is surprisingly little inside:

• An introductory notebook
• Two pen caps
• Two ink cartridges
• A mini USB to USB cable.
• Three instruction/tips booklets
• Oh.. and the Pen!

One thing that is missing is a CD with software on to use the pen, this is downloaded from the Livescribe website for free. Personally it doesn’t bother me much as I have a reasonably fast connection, but this may be annoying to some students with limited connectivity to the internet. The software file comes zipped at 130 MB and is available for both the Mac and the PC.

The Software

The software seems really intuitive and connected smoothly to my pen where it proceeded to update the firmware. Within the software you can have your notes and audio files recorded on the pen neatly organized. You can also download applications of various kinds from the App store. In some ways the software is quite reminiscent of iTunes. The App Store seems a little underdeveloped at the moment when compared to the iTunes app store anyway, a few more reviews of products would not go a miss.

One of the pre-installed applications is called “Piano” which allows you to draw out a piano and start to play it. It works amazingly well, I was most impressed. Although the “Piano application itself is not particularly useful (well maybe in some of the really boring lectures!), the level of precision and complexity that was possible was amazing.

Transfer of notes from the notepad to the computer is effectively like scanning them in, a carbon copy is uploaded onto the computer, every dot, doodle, arrow or squiggle you draw is transferred.

As well as being able to store your files on your computer the software also allows you to upload your files directly to Google Docs, Evernote, Facebook and an Email.

The Pen

Despite looking rather chubby, the pen is comfortable to hold and grips well. It has small but clear OLED screen on the side, which can change orientation depending on whether you are left or right-handed. The top of the pen has a headphone socket and a mini-USB port for uploading your work and charging up the pen. I found the pen to interact promptly with the commands pre-printed on the bottom of each page in the notebook supplied in the kit, and was also impressed at the ability of the pen to be able to remember what was said at the moment I was writing something.

I found this function in particular to be so accurate as to able to click on different parts of a single word and hear the part of the audio that was said at exactly the moment I wrote that letter.

The pen can also act as a scientific calculator by taping on the various functions and numbers of the calculator drawn into the front of the notebook.

Recording Audio

My initial test of the audio has found it to be incredibly good. Having set the pen on the “automatic” microphone level I was able to walk from my living room into the kitchen (about 8-10m) spouting nonsense to myself. Amazingly the pen was capable of picking up all my musings. The only thing I noticed was that the further away I got the louder any background noise got, while this was fine for a Sunday evening test in my house, it my be problematic with loud breathing, people whispering or generally being clumsy in lectures.

The pen does not have to be used as a pen to record audio, and can be used simply as a dictaphone, by holding down the on/off button once the pen has been turned on, similarly the pen can simply be used as a pen and does not have to be used to record audio.

Initial and Future Costs

The only thing that might put students off is the rather hefty price tag, the pen starts at £99 for the 2 GB version going up £145 for the 4 GB and £149 for the 8 GB. While this sounds like quite a bit, you will be able to achieve almost the perfect set of computerized lecture notes with accompanying audio with this product which is probably worth at least that value when it comes to revising for your exams. Especially since after a heavy night of drinking the pen will still be able to record just as well, even if you are somewhat incapacitated when it comes to writing notes.

While you can print out your own paper, Livescribe also sell pads at around £5 each, containing 100 pages of paper in each. Refill cartridges for the pen are also available in packs of 5 for around £5. Each cartridge should write approximately 35 pages of A4. Unfortunately neither pads or refills are particularly cheap when compared to their non-smartpen counterparts.

Overall Impressions

I have really enjoyed using this pen, I was incredibly skeptical at first, but I’d be happy to recommend this pen now to students keen to ensure that they don’t miss a word of lectures, both written and audio. Fortunately I don’t have to do lectures anymore but if I did I’d be really grateful for one of these pens, the amount of time saved by being able to go back to specific points in a lecture where you wrote something no longer makes any sense at all;  or to go back and find out what on earth was the lecturer was going on about while you were drawing a doodle.

Overall, good software, great pen, a little expensive but I think it will appeal to the kind of person that wants to create a detailed and comprehensive set of lecture notes, and doesn’t want to miss a thing.

The Livescribe Echo SmartPen is available on Amazon

Related posts:

1. Review: The Virgin University Survival Guide
2. Review: Nosh for Students: A Fun Student Cookbook
3. Top 12 Gadgets for Students 2011-2012

Things are normally significantly quieter, and do not involve going out and getting drunk every night, contrary to what Freshers’ Week may make things look. Your university will also offer a lot of activities and clubs which will not involve regular binge drinking to make new friends!

So if you are feeling unhappy, or like you want to go home as you think university is not for you - hold out! Wait until you meet your department and start doing lectures. You will likely find people there with much similar tastes and outlooks on life to you there than in your hall or flat!

(Just thought I would republish this again for this year, just as a reminder to those not enjoying Fresher’s Week.)

Related posts:

1. Review: The Virgin University Survival Guide
2. Best Student Laptop for University 2012
3. Insuring yourself as a Student?

Remember when signing up for your broadband to do so via Quidco to save yourself that bit extra!

*O2 will discount you quite considerably if you are an O2 customer, at a minimum you need someone with O2 Pay as You Go who tops up more than £10 every three months!

** O2 offer 2 months free at the time of writing.

I have not included BT on this table due to its low download limits and 18 month contacts, which may be unsuitable for students living in a house only for a maximum of 12 months. Sky has also been excluded as you are required to join up to Sky TV as well, the same is true of the cheaper Virgin Media options – If TV is something you are interested in then these offers may well be worth considering. Talk talk broadband similar to BT offers only 18 month contracts.

My Recommendation

My recommendation this year has changed, from Be Broadband who were my favourites last year to O2, even without owning an O2 phone they offer a great value service, reliable and high and unlimited downloads. Their routers are just as reliable as the Be Boxes, the only downside is a 1 year contract, but even factoring this in, on certain packages they still come out cheaper than the comparable Be Broadband package used for only 9-11 months. I would recommend the O2 Premium package as in my experience most houses will not receive much higher than 20megs so you will just be wasting your money to achieve 24 megs, and even if you can unless you are a prolific downloader I see no reason to have the extra 4 megs.

As a second recommendation Be Broadband are still reliable, despite the difference in price.

I would also recommend looking at these websites to help decide what to get, especially if you are unable to receive Be or O2 broadband:

• DSL Zone UKgives good ratings on Broadband ISPs service (Be and O2 do fairly well in this, however AOL and Tiscali do not!)
• Samknow Broadband will also give you a good idea of what services are available in your area and for your phone number.

Related posts:

1. What’s more than chatting in face-book and Twitter?
2. Student Discount Cards 2008
3. Student Discounts & Student Discount Cards – An Update for 2010

12 Alarm Clock

An essential gadget for all students, especially after those long nights out.

The Sony ICFC3185 Clock Radio (right) priced at £14.99 on Amazon comes with a green illuminating display, AM/FM tuner and a dual alarm function allowing you to set up a backup alarm. It also comes with the crucial “snooze” function – a requirement of any student alarm clock.

11 USB Stick

Not particularly glamorous, but an a useful gadget to take with you to university. USB sticks can make transferring work to and from university computers convenient. They are also useful for sharing videos, photos and audio files amongst your friends at university.  Our current recommendation is the 16 GB byteStor USB stick priced at £11.99 on Amazon.

10 Amazon Kindle

There is limited space at university, especially if you don’t have someone kind enough to drive you to and from university. For those who need to take the train long distances with lots of luggage the Amazon Kindle is a great way to save space, condensing all your books down into one portable device. As well as saving space, it also is a great way to sit back and read through your essays without having to glare at a harsh LCD display. Amazon also have a large number of classic books available for free, which may make the Kindle a cheaper alternative to subjects where reading the classics is part of the course. The Kindle is available on Amazon priced at both £111 and £152 depending on whether you require 3G Wireless or not.

9 Printer

Perhaps not even classified as a gadget but a printer is defiantly a worthwhile asset to own while at university. The stress of last-minute printing, queues before essay deadlines and the university printers breaking down, mean having your own printer will save you tearing your hair out or, worse, missing important deadlines. Our best buy is the Epson Stylus SX425W, currently priced at £39.99 on Amazon. It is a multifunction inkjet that also comes with a scanner. The main bonus of the SX425W is the cheap cost of replacing the ink which makes it a great printer for students on a low-budget. For more information on our other best buy budget student printers.

8 Laptop

In particular we recommend the Acer Aspire 572Z for students. With reasonable processing power, RAM and a sizeable hard drive it is great for all students going to university this September. Currently priced at £379.99 on Amazon it is also great value for money. For more information on our recommended laptops for university please visit our Best Student Laptops 2011-2012 article.

7 iPod classic

For those with epic music collections then the iPod Touch or iPhone may just not be capable of holding your entire collection, fortunately Apple are still making great iPod classics with 160 GB capacities which should be enough for most people’s music collections. Price per GB is also much more favourable for the iPod classic compared to the touch models making the classic a much better investment for students looking for a decent MP3 player. The iPod Classic is currently available on Amazon for around £160.

6 Digital Camera

If you wish to remember certain aspects of university life you will probably require a digital camera. Especially good at recording what exactly happens on drunken nights out, but also a great way to ensure you get good photos of all your new friends, and where you live and work while at university. An in-depth review on the different cameras we recommend to students can be found in our Choosing the Best Student Camera 2011-2012 article. Our recommended budget camera was the Fujifilm FinePix AV200 Digital Camera.

5 George Foreman Grill

A must have gadget for making toasted sandwiches and grilling things in general. A great asset to have in halls especially when the communal ovens may be in use or when you want a quick dinner. Alternatively if you are in catered accommodation and fancy a warm snack between meals or for lunch. A budget George Foreman Grill is available for £14.99 on Amazon.

4 Blu-ray player with iPlayer.

The Sony S380 Blu-ray player is one of our favourite gadgets, capable of not only show HD Blu-ray and upscaled DVDs through your television but also for streaming internet TV services such as BBC iPlayer and Five Demand. It feels so much nicer being able to watch iPlayer through the television rather than via a small PC or laptop monitor. the Sony S380 is available on Amazon for around £95.

Related posts:

1. Choosing Broadband for a Student House (2011 – 2012)
2. Best Student Laptop for University 2012
3. Review: Nosh for Students: A Fun Student Cookbook

Quidco is especially great for students as it allows you to get great cashback deals on various utility providers as well as student insurance providers such as Endsleigh. There are also numerous other very useful shops present on Quidco including Play.com.

Other useful features include restaurant vouchers and 4.5% cashback at Cineworld when you register the credit or debit card you pay with online.

Definitely worth investigation for any student.

Click here or on the image below to check it out.

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1. Student Discounts & Student Discount Cards – An Update for 2010
2. What’s more than chatting in face-book and Twitter?
3. Choosing Broadband for a Student House (2011 – 2012)

Nosh for Students: A Fun Student Cookbook (by Joy May) was one of two student cookbooks I purchased before going to university, over 5 years ago, and it is still one of my favourite cookbooks today. The latest edition is even more impressive with over 30% more recipes than the 2006 edition and a much better style and presentation to the book. They have also changed the name of the book for the better, from Nosh 4 Students, to Nosh for Students.

What I really like about this book is the photos of the food. This is not because they are beautiful artistic photos of food that some professional chef has spent half a day preparing, but because it actually looks like the food that results from following the recipes (something I wish more cookbooks would do!). My second favourite part of this book is that the measurements are done in mugs. When I first started out cooking I didn’t have a weighing scales, and living in halls I really didn’t have the room to put non-essential items like them in my bag, as a novice cook you also don’t want to get addicted to accurately measuring things out, it’s better in the long run if you can estimate with your eyes how much to use.

Another useful features Nosh for Students has is an approximate gauge of how much each portion of a recipe will cost.

The ingredients that are used throughout the book are not ones that are unreasonable for students to get hold of, both in terms of cost and in terms of supermarket availability.

The “How long can I keep this before it kills me?” is also a excellent section to have, especially for new student cooks worried about giving themselves food poisoning. The book gives more realistic expiration times than the ones put on to items by supermarkets. Basic information on re-heating and storage is also present in the book.

Some of my favourite recipes include the creamy chicken recipe and mini pizzas, both of which I regularly cook for myself.

Overall

A great student cookbook and probably the best one out there currently. If you are a student just about to start university this September or will be self-catered for the first time then this is definitely the best book to buy as it covers all the kitchen basics and essentials, not just cooking. This is also a wonderful section for those who are a bit strapped for cash which may come in handy later in the term when you are running out of money!

A vegetarian version of the cookbook is also available.

If you are the parent or know someone going to university this September then Nosh for Students would be a great gift idea for a student cooking for the first time. Also worthwhile is the Virgin University Survival Guide, which we have previously reviewed

Nosh for Students: A Fun Student Cookbook is available on Amazon for £4.56 and the Vegetarian Nosh for Students: A Fun Student Cookbook is available at the same price.

Click forr more information on other student cookbooks we recommend.

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2. Review: Livescribe Echo Smartpen – The Ultimate Lecture Writing Gadget?
3. Students cashback with Quidco

The Virgin University Survival Guide is a great little paperback book for those starting university in September, and looking for something to read to get them even more excited about leaving home and entering university life.

The book covers many things including Freshers week, housing, your course, money and more. It is written in a light hearted and humorous manner making it entertaining to read leisurely through. It emphasizes early own, as we do here at the University Student Site, that going to uni is not just about doing your course, but is about experiencing independent living, creating strong friendships… and potentially even improving your love life!

Possibly the most amusing section in the book is chapter 4 entitled “Hedonism” covering entertainment, sex and dating, alcohol and drugs… oh and how to develop good blagging skills.

A housing section will also be of value to those moving away from home for the first time.

Don’t expect this book to be a revelation, probably about 80% of what is you will probably be aware of at least, but it is informative and will perhaps give you a few ideas about things or how to do things you hadn’t thought about before.

If you are a parent, brother, sister or friend of someone about to start university and are looking for a small cheap and useful present to get them then the Virgin University Survival Guide may be the thing to get.

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1. Review: Nosh for Students: A Fun Student Cookbook
2. To All University Freshers NOT enjoying Freshers’ Week
3. Best Student Laptop for University 2012

Still offering Student discount with the simple production of an NUS card are Staples (10%) and Schuh (10%). Many companies now though require the addition of a second “student” card which you have to pay a certain amount of money for.

NUS Extra

NUS Extra is a £10 card you pay for and pick up from your students union. It offers a wide range of discounts such as a 5% discount from online retailer Amazon.co.uk, as well as discounts as JJB Sport (10 %), Superdrug (10 %). There are also various offers from the likes of McDonalds, Game and Comet. To make the NUS extra card worth its while you would have to spend £200 at Amazon a year or £100 at JJB Sport or Superdrug or a combination of all three… bare this in mind before purchasing! A long list of other places that accept NUS Extra can be found on their website which is fairly clear and easy to follow.

Student Discounts Card

studentdiscounts.co.uk

Cheaper than the NUS Extra card, but searching their website I cannot find what high street stores they offer discounts in. They do seem to have a cashback scheme, but I would still recommend the use of Quidco itself as it has a much larger range of cashback offers and while they also charge a yearly £5 they take this money from your cashback earnings instead. According to the NatWest website the discounts offered by this company are Game.co.uk, STA Travel (15 % cashback), 3 mobile and New Look (7.5 % cashback).

If anyone working for the company Student Discount Card would like to add what high street shops your student discount card works in, in addition to those of the standard NUS card please feel free to email me or leave them in the comment box below and I shall add them.

Student Beans

Student beans is a free website offering a wide range of offers for students and just other general money saving vouchers, such as for popular restaurants and cinema tickets. Its a very good and worthwhile site and unlike the card schemes does not require any cash in advance making it probably the best form of student discount around after the nifty NUS card itself! One of their best offers at the moment is a two for one voucher at Cineworld, saving you up to £5 a time at the cinema!

Apple Education Store

Worth noting that if you login via your campus computer to Apple’s education store  you are already entitled to a significant discount on your Mac (10-12%) with an NUS Extra card this goes up to 15% discount. Likely when buying a Mac the NUS Extra card at £10 would pay for itself with one purchase due to the cost of a MacBook or iMac.

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1. Student Discount Cards 2008
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I know it’s not exactly exciting to think about, but all that stuff you’re taking with you in the shape of phones, computers, clothes and the rest is pretty expensive, and if something disastrous were to happen, would you be able to afford to replace it all? Well, without proper insurance if the worst happens you could be left hundreds or thousands of pounds out of pocket, and I know from my own experience that raising that sort of money when you’re in university isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do.

This is where contents insurance comes in to play. What this does is simple – it covers the contents of your room from things like fire and theft, but doesn’t include the building itself, as that’s your landlord’s responsibility. This means that the amount covered is lower, the account is easier to manage, and you’re less likely to claim, which are all things that insurance companies love. Covering everything in your room (even stuff you’re likely to take out with you such as phones or bikes) can be covered for just a few pounds a month, and there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t do it.

If you’re going to cover yourself you’d best do it properly though, so here’s a few hints and tips to get you going:

However, make sure you insure yourself properly; if you’re not covered right, the policy you have could end up being worth less than the paper it’s printed on. Here’s a few quick tips to get you going:

Make Sure You Have Enough Cover
You’d be absolutely amazed how quickly the value of your stuff tots up – laptops, ipods, phones, shoes, clothes, TVs, DVD players, games consoles… the list goes on. You’ve probably got a few thousand pounds worth of stuff knocking around your room, so make sure you know just how much you’ve got there.

Decrease the Amount of Stuff You Have
Look at all the stuff in your room at the moment. How much of it will you really need, and how much of it would you miss if you didn’t take it with you? If you have drawers you haven’t opened in months or years, just tip them straight into the bin, you won’t need them after all. You should also look at selling stuff too: EBay, Car Boot Sales and their ilk are your friends here. CDs you don’t listen to, DVDs you’ve watched to death, games you’re never going to complete: – all these things can make you a few quid and save you money on your premiums.

Another thing to consider is leaving stuff at home, although this would require you to have far nicer parents than mine – but I’m sure that’s no problem.

Make Your Digs More Secure
I know I said that your insurance doesn’t cover the building, and it doesn’t – but if the stuff you own is locked away in a veritable Fort Knox, it’s going to cost you less to protect it. Speak to your landlord about fitting things like a NACOSS approved alarm, 5 Lever Mortice Locks and double bolt windows, as all these things will keep your insurance down.

I know that I said that contents insurance doesn’t include the building itself, but consider this: If the house you live in is a veritable stronghold, then there’s less chance of your stuff being stolen or damaged. Speak to your landlord about fitting things like a NACOSS approved alarm, double bolt windows and mortice locks if they haven’t already; not only will it make your insurance cheaper, his will cost less too.

Many thanks to Moneysupermarket.co.uk for writing this guest post for us. If you are interested in writing a guest post please get in contact with me, via the Contact Me button above.

Related posts:

1. Choosing Student Insurance (2008/09)
2. Students cashback with Quidco
3. To All University Freshers NOT enjoying Freshers’ Week

Renting a house in Crookes

There are many letting agencies in the Crookes area, below are a selected few, if you know of more please let me know. For rent a house in Crookes you should be looking at a price between £50 and £75 a week depending on the level of luxury you are after.

• MBA Lettings
• PJ Properties
• Swots
• Tapton Estates

If you have used one of these letting agencies in the past, please use the comment box below to leave some feedback on them, good or bad!

Alternatively if you do not fancy going through a letting agency then a list of houses with landlord contacts is also available via the Sheffield University House Finder service.

Shops in Crookes

As well as a Co-op store in the centre of Crookes there is a raft of excellent shops along the high street.

• Just Natural: One of the best fruit and vegetable shops in existence, not only does it look impressive but they have a vast array of fruit and veg, all at fairly good prices.
• Fulton Foods: Sells loads of really cheap products, in particular pizzas, bottles of squash, 3 litre bottles of Coca Cola and cans of drink are a favourite of me and my housemates.
• A & K Butler and R Hayman Butchers: There are two brilliant butchers along the Crookes highstreet, both serve excellent meat but R Hayman also do some amazing pork or fresh ham sandwiches!
• There is also a Cooplands bakery and a Threshers in Crookes both fairly useful shops!

Transport

The Stagecoach 52 and First 52 bus both are very frequent in Crookes coming every 7 and 5 minutes respectively, however the Stagecoach buses are much better for students offering a 50 pence single journey to anywhere along the line.  Heading one way down from Crookes you can get the bus to Broomhill, Sheffield University and Sheffield City Center. Heading the other way you can get to the large Hillsborough Morrisons. With a Dayrider ticket (£3) you can also use the Stagecoach trams which you can take all the way to Meadowhall.

The only disadvantage with the Stagecoach bus is that it finsihes running earlier in the evening then the First. However after about 7pm First offer a £1 return service for students on the 52 line. The First 52 line however ends in Crookes and does not go down to Morrisons.

In Part 2 I shall go into the Pubs, Eating Places and Restaurants of Crookes.

Related posts:

1. Student Discount Cards 2008
2. Students cashback with Quidco
3. Student Discounts & Student Discount Cards – An Update for 2010

Let everyone know where you eat and where you date? Stay connected even when you sleep. Say no to chat, stay alone! That’s what teens say, these days. Students are among the largest group of broadband users in the country. Googling, chatting, downloads, music, online gaming has become a fashion for the younger generation. More over schools and colleges encourage the students to be more updated.

There are a number of broadband deals, offers, plans and packages available in the country while only a few are left for the students. Mobile broadband, PAY AS YOU GO broadband and laptop deals stay good for the teens. Mobile broadband service is offered between 2 to 8 Mbps and covers almost 70% of the country. Users can either chose to pay monthly or to go pre-paid. This service is available with almost all the broadband suppliers like vodafone, 3, O2, Orange, T-mobile, and Virgin media etc.,

Before subscription, users have to make an analysis and comparison between the providers to chose the best plan. Here are few Student tips:

• Broadband Speed is what will upset us most of the time. So Users have can use an availability checker or get suggestions from other users to know who provides the  best coverage in the area to be used.
• Its not advisable to sign up for a longer contract period or any bundle services.
• Students can sign up for a low budget plan initially and also make sure if there is an upgrade available later.
• Laptop deals and Bundle packages will be of much use if the coverage is not available or if the signal strength is too low.
• Always choose to go for an unlimited plan, which will be more economical.
• If you wish share your Internet service with the house mates then a cable broadband would be the best.
• Try to apply for group services with some of your friends to get better prices and other offers .

PAY-G services will have a standard bill amount, but when you choose for a monthly billing, do remember to confirm the total amount of download per month, VAT% and other hidden charges if any.

Related posts:

1. Choosing Broadband for a Student House (2011 – 2012)
2. Student Discounts & Student Discount Cards – An Update for 2010
3. Review: Nosh for Students: A Fun Student Cookbook

Insurance is a must have for all students, risk from theft, fire, flooding etc is something that can happen to any of us, especially if you live in a city. While some University Halls have put insurance costs into the rent, for most students this isn’t the case, and the process of choosing an insurance provider must occur.

Initially I thought there was only one insurance provider for students out there, but a quick search in Google and it appears every high street bank operates a system. Below is a table of information I’ve got from a few student insurance companies including Endsleigh, Cover4Students (C4S), HSBC, RBS, JS Insurance and e&I Insurance. Unfortunately the table has incomplete gaps in due to insures websites being less than helpful when supplying a quote. Most numbers will only be estimates due to differences in costs for insurance in different areas of the country, where a post code was required the Sheffield S10 postcode was used in all cases.

My recommendationis currently Cover4Students, they are by far the cheapest, as well as having the most open and simple website with significant cover included in their comprehensive policy including Legal, Walk in Theft etc. You can also get a 25% discount for applying online and a £10 excess is very very reasonable compared with other insures. People have also had good experience with Endsleigh from what I have heard, as have I in previous years prior to the discovery of Cover4Students.

Home > Student Index > Choosing Student Insurance (2008/09)

Related posts:

1. Students cashback with Quidco
2. Insuring yourself as a Student?
3. Student Discount Cards 2008

There are many ways to save money as a student but one of them is to ask shops if they do student discount! Some shops offer student discount to anyone with a valid university NUS card, others require an NUS extra card and some even require you to have their own student discount card!

NUS extra cards can be purchased online at the NUS website, where they are then sent to your university union for collection by you. They cost around £10, and if you are a frequent shopper in some of their discounted stores it may well be worth getting one!

Below is a selection of places you can get discounts as student, some online some on the high street and the type of card you will need. Unfortunately retailers often tend to hide the fact they offer student discount, and their can be inconsistencies between shops in certain areas and what type of cards they accept as a form of student ID. Even in the same shop you may find certain staff will allow you to just use your university ID card while others will demand an NUS Extra of In Store Student Card.

Just ask and you will find out! If you do find any extra high street shops that are not on this list, or are on this list that fail to offer the discount shown then I can add remove as appropriate.

*HMV Student Discount cards become available when the University Semester starts.

Not a student discount card, but checkout BiTE Discount Card – 20% of Train Station Food! it’s completely free after all!

Home > Student Index > Student Discount Cards

Related posts:

1. Student Discounts & Student Discount Cards – An Update for 2010
2. Choosing Broadband for a Student House (2011 – 2012)
3. Choosing Student Insurance (2008/09)