www.students.com
College students are constantly bombarded with web addresses, which promise to cater to their every interest; students.com is no exception.
Students.com, a web site created by six Yale and Columbia University students in 1995, provides college students with high-quality online content.
At first, Students.com appears to be an online version of the standard run-of-the-mill teen magazine. Eye-catching graphics highlight categories such as movies, music, television, sex, health and “the buzz.”
The “Movies” section has reviews on the newest “Blair Witch” movie, in addition to a review of the top Halloween flicks. A recap of this week’s episode of “Friends” is detailed in “Television.”
The “Sex” section has tips on how to make your first time special.
One interesting aspect of the site is each category has an ongoing interactive discussion. For example, the “Movies” section has an in-depth discussion on what is the best SNL adaptation, and the “Sex” section has virgin horror stories.
One shortcoming Students.com has is its narrow layout, which leaves users scrolling down for hours in an attempt to view all of the text. Endless links make it impossible to navigate and unnecessary questionnaires plague the sight. Surveys ranking the top candy bars of all time take up a lot of space and offer little insight.
Students.com offers users the option to sign up and become a registered member. This leads to one of the most beneficial aspects of the site. Once registered under a specified university or college, the site will direct users to movies playing near their campus or music events currently in town.
As light as the articles are, they can be somewhat entertaining and comical. The “Going Out” section contains a “how-to” guide on throwing a party and lists some of the cheapest beers. Meanwhile, “F’n Around” contains silly games that are fit for children.
Overall, Student.com doesn’t cut it. The articles lack wit and are light in content. A majority of the stories read like those out of Teen Magazine. They may be acceptable for high-schoolers, but they certainly aren’t entertaining to most college students. If college net-surfers need information on the newest teenybopper film or chic pop album, then Students.com is the site. However, if students want real information from real adults, look elsewhere.
– Brendan McCarthy
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www.bored.com
Bored.com is a site with a plethora of fun filled ways to pass time. If you want to be entertained, learn something new and kill time online, bored.com is a great place to visit.
Bored.com contains a joke database on virtually every topic imaginable. The most amusing and relevant to students’ lives are the college jokes. Lists such as “40 Things Admissions Never Told You” and “25 Ways to Torture Your Roommate” will have you cracking up. “Silly tests” such as personality and intelligence tests are another amusing feature of this site. Recommended are the “3 Questions That Tell You About Your Personality,” which can be surprisingly self-revealing.
There are other links to sites that show how to avoid getting a traffic ticket, how to become a movie extra and how to do many other things you may have been curious about. Along these lines, “The Straight Dope” answers the questions you may have wondered about but never knew the answers to. For instance, the site answers questions such as, “How does a Ouija board work?” “Why is there a ’33’ on every bottle of Rolling Rock?” and “What does PEZ mean?”
If you’re in the mood for a peek at other people and places, the web-cam provides a live look at various places around the globe, including nightclubs and beaches. The current location is beautiful Maui.
If music is your interest, there are links to song lyric databases. From the links, you can search for lyrics to some of the newest songs on the charts by artists such as the Barenaked Ladies, Destiny’s Child, etc.
If singing is your passion, the site also provides a link to “online karaoke.” If your PC is equipped with RealPlayer, you can sing along to your favorite songs by Ricky Martin, Britney Spears and other pop stars. Song parodies, entertainment news and celebrity gossip are just a few other aspects of the site worth checking out.
If extreme boredom has befallen you, there are links to sites where you can watch cartoon hamsters dance to silly tunes. Popping “online bubble wrap” with the click of the mouse is another possibility.
No one will get bored enough to spend more than a few moments at these particular sites. However, the other links on bored.com are generally more intelligent than the aforementioned.
Overall, bored.com is a fun and somewhat useful site. A good deal of relevant news, fun facts and trivia are presented. Ideally, the site is for those who lead productive lives, but just want to escape into an online world of entertainment periodically. Check out bored.com and you will never again find yourself bored online.
– Kara Deniz
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