Helpful Websites To Make Coursework Less Stressful

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This time of year can be pretty stressful, what with the change in seasons and colder weather creeping in, present shopping making its way into everyone’s to-do-lists, and then there’s all the coursework too. So, this Stress Awareness Day, we’re sharing some helpful websites and tools to make the piles of coursework feel a little lighter. 

GRAMMARLY

There’s nothing worse than finishing a piece of coursework, printing it out, reading it through…and spotting spelling mistakes. Luckily, Grammarly is a free desktop app that you can download to help check your grammar, spelling, style and tone in everything you write. It helps your ideas shine with instant writing guidance, delivered intelligently, whenever you need it - from essays to emails! It’s much more than your classic spell check, and will take away any of those ‘Noooo!’ moments.

DUPLICHECKER

Stealing other people’s work is never a good idea. Sure, you can look to other people for inspiration, and of course you’ll be using sections or quotes to back up claims in essays (just remember to reference them!), but full out stealing is a big no no. Make sure your work is your own by using DupliChecker - a free tool to check for plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your work and scan for where it might be duplicated.

UCL GUIDE TO REFERENCING

As mentioned above, referencing is super important when it comes to coursework. If you’re making claims or using someone’s words, you have to be able to back it up. But sometimes referencing can feel intimidating and confusing. Thankfully UCL has a handy guide to how to reference properly, from websites to books to bibliographies. You can also use this guide from Codexterous on how to use the references whilst writing. 

TRELLO

If you’re someone who needs to be super organised when it comes to coursework, Trello might be the one for you. Setting up a Trello board is the easiest way to go from idea to action. Plan projects and break down each step of the way to getting things done. You can instantly see the status of every task you have to do, and set up timelines for yourself to complete them in. It’s essentially project management, in an aesthetic (and free!) way…

CANVA

If your coursework includes presentations, graphs, posters, or any sort of visual aid, Canva is a great place to make something stunning. Use one of thousands of free templates and make your work stand out from the crowd. There are also loads of free templates for your planning stages too, from mind maps to schedules, and essay plans.

CALM

If you need to take a break from everything, the Calm app has everything you need to chill out. Pick from different areas like improving focus, reducing stress and self improvement and be given loads of different meditation guides and relaxing playlists to help you out.

What tools do you use for de-stressing during coursework? Let us know on Insta over at @NCS!