The 5 Best College Freebies

Are you getting your money's worth from college?

Author:: Seth Fiegerman
Publish date:: Sep 21, 2009 1:25 PM EDT

Summer is officially over, which means most college students are back to being knee-deep in papers. However, next time you get a break, consider the great things you can do for free now that you’re living the university life. This also goes for high school seniors struggling over applications. College is expensive enough and only getting pricier even in this recession, so you might as well get something back for it.Here are five of the best things you can get for free at colleges across the country.

Welcome to Microgravity University, an institute run by NASA that was relatively unknown until recently. The school opened in 1995 and in that time, they have invited nearly 3,000 students in 165 colleges across the country to take free trips on the Weightless Wonder, an aircraft that simulates zero-gravity conditions by doing sudden nosedives. It’s not all fun and games though. The point is to train students interested in science to do experiments on the plane while in these conditions. (The Weightless Wonder also goes by another name: the Vomit Comet.)

There’s nothing worse than lugging around a bag full of 50-pound textbooks from class to class. Luckily, seven universities across the country will hand out free Kindles to dozens of students, as part of a trial program to determine whether or not the device improves the learning experience. Our guess is that it will, especially considering the average student spends more than $1,000 a year on textbooks.

If you go to school in a big city, your college might offer free or discounted tickets to shows around town. New York University offers freebies for popular Broadway plays like Wicked, and Columbia University offers tickets to museums and operas. Plus most schools provide half-priced tickets for movies. Check your school’s events page or contact the office of student life for more information.

If you need to buy a laptop for your first day of class, consider going Apple. When you buy a Mac, you can get a free iPod Touch with it, and even a free printer. The two combined are worth almost as much as the computer. Apple also gives away dozens of iPhone apps targeted for students. Download the My Homework app to keep yourself organized and aware of your deadlines so you don’t get kicked out of school and lose out on all the great deals above.

Getting Something Back from College

Summer is officially over, which means most college students are back to being knee-deep in papers. However, next time you get a break, consider the great things you can do for free now that you’re living the university life. This also goes for high school seniors struggling over applications. College is expensive enough and only getting pricier even in this recession, so you might as well get something back for it.Here are five of the best things you can get for free at colleges across the country.