Top Student Discounts

Tips & Tricks to Save As a Student

By: Samantha Trosi

​No matter how you slice it, college isn’t cheap. Sure, you can get a 10% discount at Target or a $2 coupon on a one-time purchase at the local Starbucks. But what about the things we really need to elevate our college experience? Here is a list of the top discounts and services to help you cut corners and look good doing it.

LinkedIn Learning

Professors love to talk about all the cool stuff we get just for being a student. A lot of us groan and roll our eyes at the idea of watching some sort of tutorial or video on our own time. I get it. We’re swamped with classes and assignments, but hear me out on this one. LinkedIn Learning has an extensive collection of videos made by top experts and professionals in almost any field. Confused about what to wear to your first interview? LinkedIn Learning has a video for that. Want to brush up on your graphic design skills to wow an upcoming client? It’s got that too. It’s available on mobile as well and completely free for CSULB students. Plug those AirPods in and get to learning. 

Canva

Ok, I’ll admit it. This isn’t really a student discount. It’s even better because it’s free. Canva is legitimately the fastest way to create logos, layouts and designs for practically all your marketing and PR needs. A free account gives you access to a variety of shapes, designs and templates that can be tweaked and modified to represent your personal style and brand. You can download your designs for free with little hassle and without some lame watermark.  

Apple Student Discounts

Sorry, PC lovers. Apple products are a fan favorite among college students. According to recent studies, 71% of college students own or prefer using a Mac and nobody is confused as to why. Built-in products like iMovie and GarageBand make multimedia editing a total breeze for PR and journalism students. Lucky for us, they have student discounts and special education pricing. It varies between products and applications, but if you bring your student ID, you’ll reap the rewards. 

Adobe Creative Cloud

This right here is the holy grail. Remember all that talk in your PR Principles class about convergence? How public relations, marketing and advertising are becoming more entwined every day? Well, here’s your chance to brush up on those design and editing skills basically for free.

Adobe Creative Cloud includes programs like InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Programs you’ll definitely use to create content like newsletters and maybe even press kits. Normally it’s $59.95 per month. Even the regular student discount is hefty at $19.99 per month. 

But get this. For CSULB students, it’s only $20 per year. 

Did you just hear the record scratching too? Not only can you download all of the applications you want on your personal computer and mobile device, you can also log in on any of the labs on campus to access projects you’re currently working on, fonts and all.

Take my advice. Take advantage of these discounted applications while you can. The knowledge and experience you’ll gain from using them now, while they’re still affordable, will only benefit you as you step into your next step professionally. Now, get to it!

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