As students, we pay a lot of money for our education. We also get a lot of stuff for free or thoroughly discounted, and who doesn’t love free stuff? Taking advantage of all of the free things that we get as a student has become somewhat of a hobby for my friend group. At a school as big as UMass, there are always events that are either free or give out free things!
The UMass barbeques are some of my absolute favorite free events. We have a Welcome Barbeque at the beginning of the semester, a Founders Day Barbeque, a CNS Day Barbeque, etc… I could go on about UMass dining for this entire post. Free food is probably my favorite free item. We have Yerba Mate, Awake Chocolate, and other businesses frequently give out full-size samples of their products around campus.
One of my friends has some sort of internal radar that alerts him when there are free sunglasses on campus, because he probably has fifty pairs! Our activities fairs and career fairs always have free swag to grab! I have gotten Frisbees, pens, stress balls, and flashlights from these events.
Subscriptions to different newspapers and services almost always have incredible student deals. Amazon prime is free for students for six months, then 50 percent off after that! The New York Times has free online access for students and print is $1 a week! The Wall Street Journal offers a $1 a week deal for 15 weeks. Spotify premium for students is $5 a month!
Deals and discounts for students are universally abundant. Apple has discounts on laptops. Movie theaters almost always have student discounts. Museums and theaters around different cities typically have a student deal as well! When I studied abroad, my essentials always included my UMass Student ID because I could save so much money! Not paying to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre did make it just a little bit better.
UMass specifically is really great about free and discounted concerts for students, which is amazing! In my time here I have seen Ke$ha, Jason Derulo, Hoodie Allen, Chance the Rapper, and Cardi B, all for free or around $15! The picture at the top of this post was taken at the Cardi B concert where my friends and I got tons of free food, including the popcorn that you see!
Taking advantage of all the deals available to students is easy and widespread. Overall, being savvy about your savings is the best way to both have fun and not break the bank as a student!
