If you are a college student or getting ready to make the jump into your university, you’ve probably experienced the Facebook phenomenon. This social networking site has taken not just your university, not just your nation, but the entire world by storm, and now it dominates a huge part of the college student’s life. From choosing schools to making friends, to networking with future employers, this site is not only unavoidable, it’s essential for today’s undergrad. The good thing is, it’s more useful, entertaining, and fun than ever before, thanks largely in part to these awesome applications:

Choosing a School

Worried about making the right choice? Get feedback from current students, statistics, and other important information, all delivered right to your profile page.

1. Bible College Directory: A searchable database of accredited bible colleges in North America.
2. Check My Campus: An online community that allows college students to share photos and videos of campus life with high school students looking at colleges.
3. College Prowler: Research colleges and share your experience with friends.
4. College Toolkit: Search for schools, test your college IQ, and see others interested in the same colleges.
5. Connect at College: Connect with other Facebook users trying to find a college and those who’ve been to college who can give insight into their school.
6. Gradzilla: Uses data from U.S.News & World Report’s listing of best graduate schools and colleges to offer you information on disciplines, location, and school contact information for applying.
7. SkoolPool: Talk about colleges with your friends and classmates.
8. What College Best Suits Your Personality?: Do you belong at a small or large school? An institute of higher learning or a party school? This quiz will let you know.
9. College Rivalries: Sometimes, when you’re stuck choosing between two schools, a good look at their sports teams is the way to go.
10. College SuperFans: Show your school spirit by adding your favorite college logo to your Facebook page.

Find a Place to Live

Getting a roommate, whether it’s your first, second, or twentieth, is always a daunting task. Make sure your personalities and lifestyles match up to avoid total domestic chaos.

11. Cribs4Students: Search and post for apartments, rooms and sublets near colleges and universities.
12. MyNewPlace: Search for an apartment or home, and see what your friends think about the places you like.
13. Roomster: Search apartments, roommates and sublets in the US, Canada and the UK.

Find Stuff to Buy

You probably have a job, or at least a loan, to help you with expenses. If you manage to budget right and end up with some pocket change, spend it here:

14. iList: A classifieds service allowing you to post a listing and promote it across your Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, FriendFeed, Pownce and Craigslist accounts.
15. Marketplace: Marketplace powered by Oodle.com classifieds.

Pick Classes

Make sure you end up with the best professors and the most effective classes to further your education.

16. CourseTopia: An online tool for helping college students build semester schedules.
17. My Courses: Find classes with your friends, and design your ideal class schedule.
18. What College Course Fits You Most: Take this quiz to help find the college degree that best fits you.

Choose a Major

This is perhaps one of the hardest choices a human being ever has to make: what am I going to do with my life? What am I going to be? Don’t rush into anything without evaluating your decision with these apps.

19. College Major Quiz: This quiz determines the five best college majors that fit your interests.
20. My College Major: This quiz matches your personality with an appropriate college major for you and provides a detailed personality report.
21. What Major Should You Choose?: This quiz will help you choose which major you should study in college.
22. What Should You Study In College?: Another quiz to help determine what you should major in.

Buy Books

Once you have your major and your classes picked, you’re going to need a book or two. This often pocket-emptying experience doesn’t have to be as excruciating as it used to be, because Facebook has your back

23. BookMooch: Swap books with other BookMooch users.
24. Cheap Textbooks: This app compares textbook prices at your school and on dozens of websites to find the lowest prices.
25. DormTrader: A marketplace to help you find the best prices for textbooks on campus and online.
26. School Soup Book Search: Book search and price comparison tool.

Manage Classes

Wait, was that essay assigned in psychology or sociology? Is my test on Tuesday or Thursday? Who can I call for notes? Never fall victim to an overwhelming workload again. Keep your life and your studies in order on Facebook.

27. Courses: Check out who’s in your classes, let your friends see your course schedule on your profile and create study groups.
28. Courses 2.0: Display your class schedule, look at your friends’ schedules, and see who will be in your classes.
29. CampusBuddyCourses: See official grade distributions, rate professors, see who’s in your classes, who lives close to you, and who likes hang out where you do.

Classroom Tools

Learn a new language, have a works cited generated for you, or increase your vocabulary, all with these academic apps on your side.

30. Box files: Provides 1 GB of free online storage, where you can store files in various formats.
31. Calculator: A functional calculator app.
32. CiteMe: Formats bibliographic citations in APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA or Turabian style.
33. Dictionary: Use this dictionary like, well, a dictionary.
34. DoResearch4me: Put notes or a draft of a term paper into the box, and this service supposedly does the research for you.
35. Google Docs: Monitor your Google Docs from within Facebook.
36. Google Translate: Get help in language classes with this app that translates Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Greek, Dutch, Korean, Czech, Croatian, Hebrew, Swedish, Turkish, Thai and more.
37. Language Exchange: Connect with language exchange partners teaching more than 70 languages, with lessons managed through your Facebook profile.
38. Learn 10: Daily content designed to help you learn one of 20 different languages.
39. LibGuides: Access content from your library within Facebook. View research guides related to your courses, chat with reference librarians, or search the library catalog.
40. Planetarium: Explore the stars and planets through your web browser.
41. Typing Speed Measure your current typing speed, and practice to get faster while competing with friends.
42. Vocabulary: An online audio-show that teaches you two words per show.

Keeping Track

Stop forgetting birthdays, assignments, and events. Everytime you log onto your Facebook profile (which is probably several times per day), you’ll get nifty reminders from these apps.

43. Calendar: Your personal calendar and to-do list for Facebook. Share all or part of your schedule.
44. fbCal: Generates iCalendar (.ics) files of your friends’ birthdays and Facebook events for use with iCal, Sunbird, Google Calendar, etc.
45. Weekly Schedule: Allows you to post a graphical display of your courses or other weekly activities for all your friends to see.

Business

The creators of Facebook are trying to prove exactly how useful the application can be by turning it into a businessman’s best friend. Make it yours, too.

46. Define Me: Displays a cloud of words others use to describe your business. This could be your best friend or worst enemy depending on your business and customer service.
47. GL Print Business Cards: A flashier business card; gives you options to create your digital business card.
48. iEndorse: Testimonials are a great way to build the value of your company. This app allows Facebook denizens to endorse your company or find it via the IEndorse business database.
49. My BusinessBlinkWeb: Create a widget that promotes your business and that others can place on their profiles. This basically turns your friends, clients, or customers into your advertisers.
50. Professional Profile: Create a tab on your profile for all of your professional contacts, information, and activities. Very useful if you want to separate the two sides of yourself.
51. Posted Items: This is one you can find on the upper right side of your profile and it allows you to share anything you find on the Internet by posting it to your profile. Videos, blogs, or even articles about you or your company or anything else you find interesting.
52. Testimonials: Like IEndorse, it’s a way to gather customer testimonials, but it doesn’t have the business database for searching businesses.
53. Smart Phone: Phone to phone calls and even some conference call features that are all handled from your FB profile.
54. Voice Mail: Voice messaging, voice chat, voice enabled wall posts, and more. Add some sound to your profile or just make it possible to leave voice messages.
55. Telephone: Talk, IM, or leave voice messages.

Quizzes

You’ve probably seen quizzes all over your friends’ profiles. Though not always the most productive of applications, these offer a decent study break when you need one.

56. Movies: Test your knowledge with this never-ending movie quiz.
57. Quiz Star: Take quizzes to analyze your personality.
58. Friend Quiz: Flow through over a million different user generated quizzes, to discover your internet identity. See where you belong in your social circle.
59. Crazy Quizzes: Thousands of quizzes to take and share with your friends.
60. Horoscopes: Whats in store for you? Will today be the day? Find out by adding a RockYou horoscope to your page and get updates covering all zodiac signs.
61. Make a Quiz: Making a Quiz has never been easier!
62. What Kind of Athlete are You?: What kind of athlete are you? This quiz was originally created by Carson Steve Hunter.
63. QuizTree: QuizTree has many quizzes for you to enjoy and allow you to invite your friends to join. Come and take the quiz now! It’s FREE and FUN.
64. Birth Week: What does the week you were born say about you?
65. Which Greek God Are You?: 13 gods, all with a specific power. Which one is yours?

Utilities

These miscellaneous apps are not only fun to use, they’re more helpful than you could imagine!

66. Birthday Cards: Facebook already tells you about upcoming birthdays in your network, so what’s next? Send your friends virtual birthday cards to make their day special.
67. Family Tree: Showcase your genealogy with this cool app that includes relatives both on and off Facebook.
68. SocialCalendar: SocialCalendar allows you to quickly import, organize and get reminders for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and more.
69. NetworkedBlogs: Bring your blog to Facebook, and Facebook to your blog.
70. Windows Live Messenger: Connect with your friends instantly while on Facebook.
71. Twitter: Take your Tweets to Facebook and vice versa!
72. Moods: Share your mood with friends using emoticons- the original emoting app with the most users.
73. YouTube 3GP: Download YouTube videos 3GP format and play them into your mobile phone without the need to convert them.
74. CountDowns: Add countdowns to your profile! Choose from lots of different skins to find just the look you want. Share countdowns with friends and others in your network.
75. Yobombo: Foreign languages are not barrier to make new friends.

Games

76. Farmville: See why this viral game has 59,336,983 monthly active users.
77. Mafia Wars: Start a Mafia family with your friends, run a criminal empire and fight to be the most powerful family.
78. MindJolt: Play over 500 games.
79. Pet Society: In the world of Pet Society you and your pet can have a great time!
80. Texas Hold ‘Em Poker: Play poker online.
81. YoVille: Host a party, chat, play games, send messages or gifts, shop, and work–all in YoVille.
82. Restaurant City: Create your own restaurant right on Facebook.
83. Bejeweled: A special version of the classic gem-swapping puzzler created just for Facebook.
84. Sorority Life: Play Sorority Life and discover fashion, friends and fun!
85. Bumper Sticker: Make up your own! Stick your friends with funny stickers!
86. Friends for Sale: Buy and sell your friends as pets!
87. Geo Challenge: Geo Challenge takes you on a tour around the world as you put your geography knowledge to the test.
88. Brain Buddies: Detect your brain’s weight. Are you smarter than your friends?
89. Word Challenge: Word Challenge by Playfish is the addictive new word game everyone is playing.
90. Vampire Wars: Obsessed with vampires? You’ll love this game!
91. Biotronic: A puzzle game that features colorful biotechnology.
92. Pillow Fight: Have a pillow fighting frenzy with your friends!
93. Chug It!: Join a virtual chug off by slamming down drinks for your friends to chug. If they don’t drink up and send a drink back in 2 days, you win!
94. Know It All Trivia: Are you a trivia god? Find out with this awesome app!
95. Waka Waka: Guide your yellow friend through different kinds of mazes using power ups to defeat the ghosts and eat all in his way.

Online Communities:

96. Ask a Teacher: A community of teachers and professors to answer your questions.
97. Course Hero: An open online study community for students, teachers and self-learners to publish and view academic resources online: outlines, solutions, study guides, exams, presentations, notes, formula sheets, essays and other works.
98. CourseFeed: A virtual classroom with free and open courses from colleges and universities.
99. Sclipo: A social learning network to learn, teach and connect with people with common educational interests.
100. Supercool School: A social learning network where users participate in live and interactive online classes.

One of the last things an avid reader wants, is to judge a book by a cover and hate it from the first chapter to the last. Instead of risking such an ill fate, look at the blogs of these biliophiliacs who have read just about every book out there–from the newest novel to the oldest history textbook–and have reviewed these books with honest, expert opinions. Make sure you have the information you need before you find yourself involved with a hyped-up book you don’t want to finish.

Top Ten

These ten book blogs are the most popular, most informative out there, and they contain information about the widest number of genres.

1. The Millions: This book blog is like an all-inclusive resort for readers and literature buffs. With all genres and cultures included, it contains news and book reviews every reader can use.
2. Critical Mass: Critical Mass is written by professional book reviewers. Rather than review books, they provide book and author news that only they, as professionals, get to hear.
3. Baby Got Books: Reviews and commentary by readers who keep you informed about the year’s biggest releases.
4. The Elegant Variation: The list of book recommendations on this literary news site will never leave you disappointed.
5. Blog of a Bookslut: Bookslut is famous among book blogs, and one of the most popular in the the world of online book news and reviews.
6. A Life in Books: This librarian shares her passion for books and reading, and her professional commentary is useful for followers looking for a great read.
7. Beth Fish Reads: This book lover and freelance book professional posts book reviews and participates in reading challenges and bookish memes.
8. Bluestalking: A reading enthusiast shares her years of literary reviews and criticism with the world in this interesting and thorough blog.
9. Book Addiction: Heather, a 25-year-old book addict from Chicago, keeps track of her reading conquests, shares her opinions of recent releases, and develops a list of recommendations on this blog.
10. Candy Covered Books: This blog "gathers reviews from a wide variety of sources and averages them into a single rating so you don’t waste valuable time reading anything less than fabulous."

Librarian Blogs

Take it from these book gurus, because they know a good book when they see (or smell) one.

11. Booknotes by Lisa: A librarian gives her all to share her favorites with the world through this book blog.
12. Peter Scott’s Library Blog: Discover the changing face of literature in the technology age with internet librarian Peter Scott.
13. 1 More Chapter: 1morechapter.com is dedicated primarily to books and the reading life.
14. Reading 2.0: Librarian Sarah shares her favorite books and authors on this site, and also delivers well-rounded literary criticism when necessary.
15. Hip Librarians: Get the word from these cool librarians, who aren’t afraid to tell you what they hate (and what they love).
16. One Librarian’s Book Reviews: This blog is held together by a librarian who loves to read books and then write about them. She includes content ratings for swearing, mature content, and violence, so this site is very teacher-friendly.
17. Goddess Librarian: Jen McIntosh provides young adult literature reviews.
18. BookList: Get online book reviews from the American Library Association.
19. The Booklady’s Blog: This young librarian dishes her opinion about her favorite (and least favorite) fiction, non-fiction and memoirs.
20. Conversational Reading: Get daily literature news with interviews, reviews and opinions.

Fiction

Reading novels is a great way to pass the time, expand your vocabulary, and learn more about the ways of the world.

21. The Elegant Variation: The Elegant Variation is a top rated book blog that reviews books, sponsors contests, and more.
22. FictionBitch: Literary historians will appreciate this dissection of fiction.
23. Mark Athitakis’ American Fiction Notes: Mark Athitakis reviews books for the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times and other newspapers. In this blog, he interviews authors, reviews short stories, and comments on American fiction.
24. Biblio: Find book news, reading lists and book history from this blog.
25. Karen Vanuska: Karen Vanuska devotes much of her blog to American fiction and American writers.
26. Blogging Anne of Green Gables: This blog is no longer active, but it contains a worthwhile archive for anyone studying the book, the era, or Lucy Maud Montgomery.
27. Bookgirl’s Nightstand: This literature lover reads Jane Austen, contemporary authors, and everyone in between.
28. Books I Done Read: Get reviews of books like The Cider House Rules, All Quiet on the Western Front and Middlemarch.
29. Cam’s Commentary: This blogger relates her book commentaries to the greater conversation on religion, science and culture.
30. dovegreyreader: This blogger has read an impressive number of books by Jean Rhys, Sarah Hall, Nicole Beauman, and more.
31. Ex Libris: Here you’ll find profiles and reviews of books that deal with American history, pop culture, and more.
32. BooksPlease: This blogger adds historical notes and points of reference to her book reviews.
33. Bookstorm: Get reviews, news and recommendations about books from Cormac McCarthy and other great authors here.
34. Classical Bookworm: This blogger mostly chooses to read and write about classics from Cervantes, Shakespeare, Dickens and others.
35. Letters for Literary Ladies: Letters for Literary Ladies comes from a PhD student passionate about 18th-century literature written by female authors.
36. American Indians in Children’s Literature: Study how American Indians are depicted in children’s literature.
37. English Lit, American Lit, and All Things Humanities: Angela Courtney, the Illinois University librarian for English and American literature blogs about researching at IU and elsewhere.
38. Classic Literature: This review of classic literature will help you explore authors like Dickinson and Dickens.
39. Red Room Library: This blogger is a National Book Critics Circle member who writes intelligent reviews and commentary.
40. Can’t Sleep, Must Read: This college student blogs about classics, new works, book news and more.
41. American Short Fiction blog: Review classics and new releases from American short fiction here.
42. The Classics Challenge: This book challenge serves as a great reading list and resource list for researchers.
43. Samuel and Beckett’s Book Blog: This intelligent book blog combines contemporary literature, politics, culture and history.
44. SF Signal: A science fiction blog that covers the most talked about book releases in the genre.

For Younger Readers

These book blogs are kid and young adult friendly, and great for teachers too!

45. Guys Lit Wire: This blog features books that are of interest to teenage boys.
46. a wrung sponge: Get reviews of children and young adult literature and poetry as well as books for parents here.
47. Book Nut: The bulk of Melissa’s reviews are about children’s and young adult literature, from first-time readers to college-agers.
48. Bookworm 4 Life: Written by a public librarian who focuses mostly on teen literature.
49. SherMeree’s Musings: This librarian reviews children’s books. Reviews include number of pages, appropriate age range, and publishing information.
50. Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast: While not following the traditional book review format, this blog gives the low-down on authors, illustrators, and the books themselves from this genre.
51. A Fuse #8 Production: Check out this blog for in-depth reviews of kid lit.
52. Jen Robinson’s Book Page: Jen writes reviews about kid lit and includes age ranges, publication information, and sources of her books.
53. Maw Books Blog: YA fiction, kid lit, and even a bit of historical fiction and author interviews end up on this blog.
54. Shelf Elf: read, write, rave: Keep up with your favorite authors with this blog, which higlights news and new releases.
55. GreenBeanTeenQueen: If you are looking for reviews on teen and tween literature, then let this librarian guide you with her reviews.
56. The Book Cellar: The reviews of YA literature here are done by the 16 year-old blogger who posts a short excerpt from the book along with her review and a rating based on a 5-star system.
57. Pop Culture Junkie: While most of the books here are YA, there are also reviews on other types of fiction as well.
58. The Story Siren: The YA reviews here include a star rating system for separate components of each book, including overall, plot, characters, ending, writing, and cover.
59. Tempting Persephone: Written by a young adult librarian, the books here have a decidedly fantasy/alternate reality bent to them.
60. Young Adult Books Central: The YABC blog is a companion site to the YA Books Central Web Site, and it contains seemingly endless pages of quality book reviews.

Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Adventure

If you like your books a little out of this world, then check out these blogs that feature science fiction, fantasy, and adventure.

61. BestScienceFictionStories.com: Science fiction short stories and novelettes are reviewed on this blog.
62. Exclusively Books: Written by a group of Latter-day Saint women, these books are mostly fantasy and adventure. The ladies warn of bad language and adult content, too.
63. Stuff as Dreams are Made On: Chris enjoys reading and reviewing fantasy, sci-fi, YA, and even a bit of general fiction.
64. Bold. Blue. Adventure.: Sci-fi and fantasy are the favorites here, along with a good dose of YA and graphic novels.
65. The Book Pirate: Not all the books reviewed here are about pirates, because their zombie cousins need some airtime, too.
66. The Book Zombie: If you love the undead, this book blog was brought to life just for you.
67. bombastic bagman. These book reviews tend to fantasy and alternate realities. Comics and mysteries that overlap with fantasy are also represented.
68. Bibliophile Stalker. This blog looks at books from the speculative fiction and fantasy genre.
69. SciFiGuy.ca. SciFiGuy reviews focus on urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and speculative fiction and fantasy.
70. The Galaxy Express. Science fiction romance is the buzz at this blog.
71. Spiral Galaxy Reviews: Science fiction, fantasy, contemporary fiction, non-fiction, and short fiction for readers who love this genre.

Other Genres

The most interesting and understudied genres are covered in these great book blogs.

72. The Book Design Review: This blog proves you can judge a book by its cover. This blog is all about the design of books.
73. Reading Local: Portland: Focusing on the literary world in Portland, Oregon, this blog features reviews of books by Portland authors as well as other news and events in the area.
74. In Spring it is the Dawn: This Canadian blogger has been living in Japan for about 8 years and reviews a steady stream of books from Japanese writers or that are set in Japan.
75. YA Fabulous: This blog reviews and discusses young adult books with GLBT themes.
76. Awful Library Books: Two librarians have made it their mission to weed out terrible books that are actually on library shelves. See which ones they select on this blog.
77. Judge a Book by its Cover: In the vein of awful books, this blog features books with really bad covers. Beware of some adult content.
78. Book Dads: This blog highlights books about dads and their relationships with their children. Adult, young adult, and children’s literature are all reviewed.
79. Books, Movies and Chinese Food: Most of the books reviewed by this grad student are Christian fiction.
80. it’s dark in the dark: This blog features scary books and rates them on creepy factor, suspense factor, weird erotic tension factor, and funny and/or strange factor.
81. Dreadlock Girl Reads: Dreadlock Girl reviews everything from literary fiction to non-fiction to movies.
82. S. Krishna’s Books: World literature book reviews are featured along with music and photography on this blog.
83. The Bottom of Heaven: While book reviews are a large part of this blog, it also shares plenty of information and insight about black culture in America.

Publisher Blogs

From the professionals who run the book publishing industries, come these great blogs with thorough coverage of today’s titles.

84. Beyond Her Book: This blog is brought to you by Publisher’s Weekly, so you can bet it’s full of information you need to make the best reading decisions.
85. Beattie’s Book Blog: New Zealand publisher and bookseller discusses his favorite reading experiences.
86. Powell’s Books: Read reviews from a compilation of great writers, publishers, seasoned readers, and more. They join efforts to make sure you have the most in-depth commentary possible.
87. The Book Bench: Straight from The New Yorker, a blog on "books, publishing, and the literary life."
88. Guardian UK Books: Get the low down on today’s bestsellers and new releases, and save yourself a pretty penny by staying away from the books these experts tell you to leave on the shelf.
89. Galley Cat: This site has "the first word on the book publishing industry," and these publishers keep readers up to date with what they need to know most.
90. The Penguin Blog: This is the Penguin Publishing blog, and it tends to deliver mostly information about books being released by the company.
91. Rob Around Books: Celebrate love of books with this awesome blog.
92. The Friday Project: Stay in touch with the latest news from publishing giant Harper Collins.
93. Bookmark: This blog by the University of Arkansas press brings weekly reviews of their upcoming releases.

Miscellaneous

If you didn’t see a review in the other 93 blogs, you’ll likely find it in one of these.

94. 26 books: What started as one reader striving to review 26 books in one year has grown to epic proportions.
95. BookFetish: This blog features reviews on thrillers, young adult, fantasy, and more.
96. Omnivoracious Amazon Blog: A collaborative effort from Amazon.com, this blog covers everything from cookbooks to fiction.
97. The New Book Review: Readers, reviewers, and authors can submit their reviews here which cover a wide variety of genres.
98. Book Nook Club: These 13 book reviewers cover many different genres and encourage their readers to leave comments for further discussion.
99. Five Borough Book Review: A group of New Yorkers review books from every existing genre.
100. Shelf Love. Jenny and Teresa review everything from classics to contemporary fiction to children’s literature.
101. Book Smugglers: These two friends got grief from their families about how much time and money they spent on Amazon.com, that they had books delivered to their offices and then "smuggled" them home. If you, too, would stop at nothing for a good read, click this link and make yourself at home.

When you were in school, you got feedback in the form of grades each time report cards went out. Now that you are a little older, it’s not always so easy to know how you are doing. Luckily, you can spend some time with these tools to learn a little bit about how well you are performing in many aspects of your life. From grading your online presence to learning how well your business is doing to grading physical, health, emotional, and nutritional habits, these tools provide insight to help guide you. You can also learn about how you are doing financially, ecologically, and educationally, so jump right in with these tools to see how you make the grade.

Grade Your Online Presence

From blogging to Facebook to Twitter, discover your online presence grade with these tools.

1. Website Grader. Type in the URL for your website (as well as any competing websites, if you choose) to see what kind of grade you score.
2. Twitter Grader. Enter your Twitter user name to find out how you do as a Twitter user.
3. Blog Grader. See how you rate when it comes to your blog with this tool.
4. Facebook Grader. Specifically for measuring your business’ presence on Facebook, this site will give you a grade.
5. Gobbledygook Grader. See if you are using too much jargon, too many cliches, or overused words in your copy.
6. Personality Grader. Type in your name to learn what this grader has to say about your presence on the Internet based on where your name turns up. Rumor has it this is an April Fool’s Joke, but it might be fun to play with it anyway.
7. Keyword Ranking Tool 1.0. Keep close tabs on your website or blog’s ranking with this freeware download.
8. Twitter Analytics. Follow the progress of your brand’s presence on Twitter with this free tool.

Grade Your Business

Whether you are just starting a business or have been in business a while, use these tools to grade specific aspects to see how you are doing.

9. Press Release Grader. Learn about the marketing effectiveness of your press release by posting it here and getting a grade.
10. Book Grader. Authors can track and improve their marketing of online books with this tool.
11. Cash Flow Calculator. Find out if your cash flow is good enough to keep your business afloat.
12. Startup Costs Calculator. See what your start-up costs may be and how they measure up with this tool.
13. Email Marketing ROI Calculator. Discover what kind of return on your investment you can expect with your email marketing campaign.
14. Direct Mail Marketing ROI Calculator. Just like the email version, this one looks at the return on your investment based on your direct mail marketing activities.
15. Break Even Analysis Calculator. See if the money you are making will be enough to cover both fixed and variable expenses.
16. Conversion Rate Calculator. Learn how your online sales match up and what you can do to improve them with this tool.
17. Investment Offering Calculator. Take a look at what your start-up gives up and what investors gain to learn if your business is balanced in this area.
18. Pay-Per-Click ROI Calculator. Find out what your ROI is for your pay-per-click advertising campaign.

Grade Your Physical Fitness

These tools are easy to use, but will require a little effort from you to grade your physical fitness abilities.

19. Calculate Risks of Exercise. If you are a man over 45 or a woman over 55, answer these questions to determine your ability to exercise and at what level it is safe to do so.
20. Curl-Up/Half Sit-up Test. Plug in your age and gender and see how many curl-ups or half sit-ups you can do to learn how you measure up.
21. Sit Up Test. Move on to the full sit-ups to see what grade you get.
22. Push Up Test. Get a grade on how many push-ups you can do for your age and gender with this tool.
23. Sit & Reach Flexibility Test. Grab a partner to help you measure your hamstring and lower back flexibility.
24. Rockport Walk Test. You’ll need a heart monitor and a one-mile walk to learn your grade on cardiovascular health here.
25. 1.5 Mile Run. Run 1.5 miles and time your minutes and seconds it takes to complete it, then plug in the numbers to find out your grade.
26. 12 Minute Run. Similar to the 1.5 mile test, this one asks you to run for 12 minutes and measure your distance to learn how you measure up.
27. Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator. Women can measure their waist and hip sizes and find out what this ratio means about body shape and health.
28. Ideal Body Measurements Calculator. Men, find out what your measurements say about you.

Grade Your Health

Use these tools to get your health grade when you learn about your life expectancy, explore your risks for many common and preventable diseases, and find out if you are getting enough sleep.

29. Health Age and Life Expectancy. This tool asks questions about your health, lifestyle, mental state, and more to grade you on your health age and life expectancy.
30. Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Affect Your Lifespan?. Answer questions about your past and future smoking habits to see how smoking will impact your lifespan.
31. Interactive Tool: Is Your Weight Increasing Your Health Risks?. Find out what your score is here and if it indicates your weight is leading you to health problems.
32. Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Assessment. Find out what your grade on blood pressure and heart rate is with this assessment tool. Note you will need to know your numbers to use this tool.
33. Measure Your Metabolism. See where your metabolism falls with this assessment tool.
34. What’s Your Stroke Risk?. Use this interactive tool to discover your stroke risk rating and what you can do to lower it.
35. What’s Your Cancer Risk?. Choose from 12 different cancers to rate your risk of getting one of them.
36. What’s Your Diabetes Risk?. Grade your risk for developing diabetes with this tool.
37. What’s Your Heart Disease Risk?. Answer questions about your health, lifestyle, and background to learn your risk for heart disease.
38. What’s Your Osteoporosis Risk?. Both men and women can fall prey to osteoporosis. Find out what your grade is and if you are at risk for it.
39. Sleep Test. Get your sleep health score with this simple tool.

Grade Your Nutrition

Explore how your nutritional habits stack up against others, if you need to cut back on fast food or at least change the items you order, and how well you know portion size with these tools.

40. Daysworth Nutrition Calculator. Find your nutrition grade with this calculator that lets you select common foods that match your eating habits.
41. NAT Energy Calculator. Find out how much energy you burn each day and what that means for you.
42. Protein Calculator. Women can answer a few questions to determine how much protein they need for a healthy body.
43. Daily Nutrition Calculator (Macronutrients). See what your lifestyle and body type require you to get in calories from major nutrients such as fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
44. Fruit, Vegetable, and Fiber Screener. Use this tool to see how you make the grade when it comes to eating from these three categories.
45. Fast Food Calorie Counter. See how the numbers stack up for you when you use this calorie counter for fast food.
46. Nutrition Facts Meal Calculator. Like the previous tool, this one shows you how your fast food consumption looks, but it offers a few different fast food restaurants to choose from.
47. Calorie Calculator for Males. Find out how many calories you should be eating a day and whether or not your current consumption makes the grade.
48. Calorie Calculator for Females. This tool does the same thing as the previous one, except its for women.
49. How Do You Fare on Food and Fitness?. Answer these 10 questions to learn how you measure up when it comes to healthy eating and exercise.
50. Rate Your Plate. Select food to put on your plate, then find out what kind of nutritional grade you get on those foods.
51. Serving Size Surprise. Test your knowledge of serving sizes for common foods and see how you measure up when it comes to recognizing healthy portions.

Grade Your Personality and Mental Health

Find out what personality type you are and how that compares to others, see if you are too depressed or too stressed, and how balanced your life is with these tools to help you grade your personality and mental health.

52. Keirsey Temperament Sorter. Take this popular assessment to find out your personality type and what it means for you.
53. Type Focus Free Assessment. Similar to the Myers-Briggs test, this one will give you insight on your personality type.
54. Jung Typology Test. This test scores you on a formula based on work of both Jung and Isabel Myers-Briggs.
55. Short Form for the IPIP-NEO.This assessment grades you within five different personality aspects and offers a good explanation of what it all means.
56. Understanding Yourself Personality Test. Complete these questions to get instant feedback for learning about yourself.
57. Deal With It. Find out how you measure up to dealing with difficult situations.
58. My Life Goals. Use this tool to see how your life goals stack up.
59. Are You a Decider?. Find out if you have the personality of a decision maker with this tool.
60. You and the Law: Judgment of Harm, Compensation, and Punishment. See how you compare to others when it comes to societal views of the law and its implementation.
61. Interactive Tool: Are You Depressed?. Learn your depression score and what it means for you with this tool.
62. Interactive Tool: How Well Do You Bounce Back?. Get a score that indicates how well you recover from stressful situations in life.
63. Interactive Tool: What is Your Stress Level?. Use this tool to measure your stress level and learn what you can do to lower it, if necessary.
64. Life Balance Wheel. Use this wheel to think about your personal satisfaction with each of these areas of life and examine any ways you can change your life.

Grade Your Relationships

Use these tools to see if you are headed for divorce, are dating a good boyfriend, if you understand your child, and more.

65. The Self-Peer Personality Test. You and a friend or relative can take this test to see if what you think about yourself is how others see you.
66. Understand Your Child: Teen and Child Personality Test. Answer these questions to get a better handle on who your child is.
67. Close Relationship Personality Test. Find out how the way you feel and act in romantic relationships affects them with this tool.
68. Relationship Report Card. Rate yourself and your partner with this extensive list, then compare to see where you need to work harder and what is already working well.
69. The Date Quiz. This simple quiz measures how good a boyfriend or girlfriend you have.
70. Relationship Calculator. Wade through those confusing family relationships with this calculator that helps make it more clear.
71. Cousin Relationship Calculator. Figure out just how you are related when you use this tool.
72. Marriage Calculator. This should be called the divorce calculator, because that is what it figures out–your chance of getting a divorce.
73. Marriage Calculator Lite. An iPhone app that relies on real data to give your marriage a rating between 1 and 100.

Grade Your Finances

Discover how much you are worth, how much you may be worth in the future, how you are managing your cash flow, and much more with these tools that will help you grade your financial situation.

74. Net Worth Calculator. Find out how much your net worth (how much you owe vs. how much you own) is with this tool.
75. What is My Risk Tolerance?. Learn how much risk you are willing to take and how that affects your investments.
76. Home Affordability Calculator. See where your finances put you in respect to home ownership when you plug in the numbers here.
77. Car Loan Calculator. If a new car is in your future, see how you rate when it comes to car ownership ability.
78. Loan Affordability Calculator. Learn how much you can borrow based on your ability to pay, number of payments, and interest rate.
79. Future Value Calculator. See how much your investment will be worth in the future by setting your own parameters in this tool.
80. Retirement Planning Calculator. Discover how long your retirement savings will last based on your current savings.
81. Credit Grade Calculator. While this isn’t an official way to learn your credit score, it can show how you measure up based on your late payments.
82. Credit Grade Calculator. Here is another version, but this one also takes into account the amount of debt you have and how much equity you have in property.
83. Borrowing Power Calculator. Learn how much borrowing power you have based on income, expenditures, and what kind of loan you seek.
84. How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?. See where you stand when it comes to insuring your life for your family.
85. What May My 401(k) Be Worth?. Discover how your 401(k) stacks up after using this tool.
86. What is My Current Cash Flow?. Find out if you are running out of money or going in a more positive direction each month.

Grade Your Eco-Impact

What kind of grade will you get when you use these tools to determine your carbon footprint on the Earth? Try a few of these tools to find out.

87. WWF Footprint Calculator. This calculator determines your impact on the environment while looking at the way you eat, what you drive, what you do around the house, and the stuff you buy and consume.
88. Ecological Footprint Quiz. This popular quiz shows how you compare to the rest of the world when it comes to your eco-lifestyle.
89. Carbon Footprint Calculator. From the Nature Conservancy, this tool takes a detailed look at how you live and the impact it makes on the Earth. Choose to calculate just for yourself or for your whole family.
90. An Inconvenient Truth Carbon Calculator. Take a look at the way you use energy in your home and in transportation to determine how much carbon dioxide you put into the atmosphere.
91. Footprint Calculator. Learn how much land it would take to support your lifestyle and what you can do to change that.
92. Ecological Footprint Calculator. This calculator relies more heavily on your attitude than your practices to find you impact on the Earth.
93. Global Ecological Footprint Calculator. If those other calculators ask too many questions for you, try this one with just four questions to see how you rate.

Grade Your Education

Find out what the value of your education will be, advantages to you for specific college savings plans based on your situation, and more with these tools that will help you put a grade on your educational experience.

94. What is the Value of a College Education?. Use this tool to find out what a college education is worth for your specific goals.
95. Feasibility of Student Loan Repayment. Learn if you will realistically be able to repay that student loan deficit you have or are considering.
96. What Are The Advantages Of A 529 College Savings Plan?. See what investing in a 529 might mean for your college savings.
97. What Are The Advantages Of A Coverdell ESA?. Learn how much you are saving with a Coverdell ESA for your education.
98. College Savings Calculator. Add your data into this tool to see how much you will need to save to pay for college.
99. Academic Year Budget. Take into consideration things like room and board, fees, and transportation to figure out where you fall in the college expense column.
100. Education Cost Calculator. Use this tool to figure out how much your child’s education will cost based on current age, how long you plan to pay for school, inflation, your current savings, and more.

Being unemployed certainly isn’t where most workers out there would like to be, but it doesn’t have to be the worst thing to ever happen to your career. It can be an opportunity to learn new skills, create a better resume, pursue a new career avenue or just learn things you’ve always wanted to learn. Here are 100 free and educational sites that will help you manage your time away from work in a productive manner.

Career

Check out these sites to learn how to ramp up your career.

1. Quint Careers: This career website offers information on building a great resume, changing careers, finding a job as an older worker and a whole lot more.
2. Teachers TV: If you’re an out-of-work teacher, this site offers a chance to learn more about the field and get ideas on how to work in the classroom.
3. Career One Stop: Pay a visit to this organization’s site to learn about new ways you can get on the path to career success from going back to school to changing your field.
4. Career Crafter Tutorials: This website isn’t about a career in crafting; instead it offers great advice and instruction on building, or rebuilding, a solid career.
5. eResumes: Check out the advice on this site to create a better, more streamlined resume.

Business

Build up your business knowledge and skills through these courses, tutorials and informative sites.

6. KnowThis.com: This site is full of tutorials to help you learn more about marketing.
7. LayNetworks: If you want to improve how you work and lead in the office, this site offers a great collection of tutorials.
8. Website 101: It can be a big asset to a business to have a website, so learn all you need to know about the process here.
9. Business Tutorials: Those hoping to start their own business will find a wide range of helpful articles and tutorials on this site.
10. Small Business Administration Courses: The U.S. government offers these free courses — some online and others free — to take at local business centers to help people of all ages build their entrepreneurial skills.
11. My Own Business: Many people use the loss of a job as a motivating factor to finally start their own business, and this site is full of tips on how to do it right.
12. Kutztown Small Business Development Center: Whether you want to start your own business or just want to brush up on what it takes to work in a successful one, this site can be a big help.
13. iLearn Small Business Courses: Check out the advice and information contained in these helpful business courses.
14. LearnThat: This site offers some basic business tutorials.
15. HP Learning Center: You can learn more about running the equipment in your office through these free courses from HP.

Management and Leadership

Give yourself the confidence and expertise it takes to be a good leader by checking out some of these free resources.

16. Training Time: Through the tutorials on this site, you can learn important skills like building a better workplace environment and training new employees.
17. Financial Management Training Center: Learning to manage the finances of a business can be just as important as managing the people, and these courses will help you learn to keep the cash flow in check.
18. Change Management: These courses will help you learn how to effect real changes in the workplace that can build a better working environment for you and your employees.
19. Management Help: While designed with nonprofits in mind, these courses offer some good advice for managers of for-profit outfits as well.
20. Leadership Training Tutorials: Take these free courses to learn what makes a good leader and how you can hone your skills to be better at working with others.
21. Business Balls: The name might be silly, but this site offers some truly great courses and information on building management skills.
22. Project Management Course: Through this resource, you can gain skills that can help you explain how you’d manage a project, if asked in an interview.
23. The Leaders Institute Tips: From remembering names to speaking in public, these articles will educate you on how to be a better leader one step at a time.
24. American Management Association: The podcasts on this site offer a chance to learn from other leaders out there.
25. Learners TV: Watch some of these videos to learn more about management of people, money and assets.

Academics

Spend your time away from the workplace learning about everything from calculus to global politics on these open education sites.

26. MIT Open Courseware: You too can take courses, not for credit of course, from one of the most well-regarded tech colleges in the United States.
27. Google Scholar: If you want to make sure you’re reading reliable, academic sources, use this student-focused search engine from Google.
28. Academic Earth: This site offers a wide range of lectures and courses from some of the elite scholars and schools in the nation.
29. iTunes U: Take courses through iTunes from schools and institutions with great academic reputations.
30. Forum Network: Here you’ll find free lectures from NPR and PBS on a wide range of interesting subject matter.
31. Princeton WebMedia: You don’t have to attend Princeton to listen to the great lecturers the school offers–all found through this site.
32. Harvard@Home: Hear from some of the world’s best-known scholars through the lectures on this Harvard site.
33. Open University: Get free courses of all kinds from this UK-based online university.
34. Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative: Here you can listen to lectures and take courses from Carnegie Mellon.
35. Duke Law Center for the Public Domain: If you want to brush up on your knowledge of relevant law issues, take a look at this site.
36. Kaplan University: There are a few courses here on business, education and social sciences you can take for free.

Technology

For many unemployed workers out there, knowing as much as possible about technology can be a big asset in finding a new job. These sites will help teach you about a wide range of technological issues.

37. Computer Weekly: IT professionals, or those hoping to work in the field, can get all kinds of webinars and lessons on this site.
38. TechOnline: These webinars offer some pretty techie instruction on a number of subjects.
39. actDEN: Those who aren’t tech-professionals will appreciate this free site to learn more about how to use Microsoft’s Office suite.
40. W3Schools: Check out these web tutorials to learn HTML, XML, CSS, server maintenance and more.
41. Productivity Portfolio: If you’ve got five minutes you’ve got enough time to take these tutorials.
42. MuppetLabs: From a programmer’s virtual library to lessons on languages like Python and Perl, this site is full of information.
43. Geekpedia: Here you’ll find a huge collection of tutorials and articles to learn about all the big tech issues.
44. InPictures: If you work better from pictures than words, this site can make it much easier to learn about computer issues.
45. How-to-Geek: Those in need of lessons on working with computers and other gadgets will appreciate this large site.
46. Vista4Beginners: Some people have had a hard time learning how to navigate Vista, but this site has helpful guides to ease the process.
47. NetTuts: Here you can find lessons on keeping websites secure, using CSS and a whole lot more.
48. Tweako: This techie-focused site is full of tutorials and articles on topics computer and programming-related.

Essential Skills

If you’re out of work, chances are pretty good you need to save money. These educational sites will help you learn how to hem your own pants, maintain your car, and fix your own home.

49. Sewing Tutorials: Learn how to sew a wide variety of projects on this site.
50. What the Craft: From this site you can learn how to revamp your old wardrobe, mend things and sew great projects.
51. Cooking Tutorials: Save money by not eating out and learning how to cook healthy foods on this site.
52. Car Maintenance Guide: Don’t spend hundreds fixing things on your car when you can do it yourself by learning from this site.
53. DoItYourself.com: Learn how to do all kinds of things around the house without calling in the professionals with these tutorials.
54. The Bicycle Tutor: If you’re more of a bike person than a car driver, you’ll get tips on keeping your bike in order here.
55. Easy2DIY: From finishing a basement to solving minor plumbing problems, you’ll get help on this site.
56. SkillVids: Check out this site to learn how to fix things around your home–saving you money and giving you something to do.
57. Make Magazine: Get creative in your spare time and take on some of these home improvement projects.
58. DIY Home Improvements Depot: This site offers you a chance to learn how to be your own handyman or woman.

Reading and Writing

Learn a wide range of skills through these sites offering writing instruction and free literature.

59. Project Gutenberg: Read the classics from the thousands of public domain books contained within this site.
60. Literature.org: Find works of classic literature on this site from Twain to Descartes.
61. Bibliomania: This site collects thousands of free books so you can read them without even leaving the house.
62. SparkNotes:If you want to read a challenging book but want a little help understanding it, the free study guides on this site will be a big assistance.
63. Poewar Writer’s Resource Center: Whether you want to write better poetry or just want to sound better on your resume, take a look at this site.
64. Paradigm Online Writing Assistant: Learn what some common problem areas are when writing and how to make your written words better from this resource.
65. WikiBooks: This site contains loads of free online books on a huge range of subjects.
66. Library of Congress: The LOC is more than just home to millions of books, it also houses great archives of photos, audio recording and artifacts, many of which are available online.
67. Lifewriting: This site offers free writing classes to help you hone your skills.

Language Learning

Knowing how to speak another language can be a huge asset on a resume for a wide range of career paths. Check out these sites to learn the basics of dozens of languages.

68. BBC Languages: With numerous languages from Mandarin to Spanish offered, this site is a great place to learn the essential phrases of a new language.
69. Rosetta Project: Learn more about the variety of world languages out there with this research project and website aimed at documenting them all.
70. MIT Foreign Language and Literature: Take free language courses through MIT through their OpenCourseWare program.
71. LiveMocha: Trade your knowledge of English to someone else who speaks another language on this communal learning resource.
72. LingoPass: This site offers a free language learning exchange.
73. Teach Yourself Japanese: Here you can learn the basics of written and spoken Japanese.
74. Learn Spanish: Knowing Spanish can be a huge asset in many parts of the country, and you can start your language learning here.

Design and Creativity

Designers, creative or just interested parties who are out of work can brush up on their skills while looking for new jobs on these helpful sites.

75. DigitalArts: Here you can read news and find helpful tutorials on creative technologies.
76. KillerSites: This site offers visitors a range of tools to learn to design better, more accessible websites.
77. Media College: Learn to better handle a video camera and edit film through the tutorials here.
78. Photography Mentor: If you’ve always wanted to learn more about working as a photographer, then this site offers some indispensible advice.
79. Adobe InDesign Tutorials: Check out this resource to learn how to become an InDesign pro.
80. Website Tips: Those who’ve never built a website, or those who just want to know more about it, can find helpful tips and tutorials here.
81. Online Web Design Course: Learn the basics of designing a website through this free web design course.
82. QuarkEd Training: Knowing how to use Quark is a pretty big deal for many working in the design field, and the company offers free lessons here.
83. Designer Today: Here you can not only get updates on big design topics but also find hundreds of Photoshop tutorials.
84. PlanetPhotoshop: This website will help you learn to master both the fundamentals and more advanced aspects of Photoshop.

Finances

Managing money is important when you don’t have a steady stream of income, and these sites will teach you what you need to know.

85. Money 101: This site from CNN will help you learn all about the basics of managing money.
86. MoneyManagement.org: Here you’ll get a chance to build up your skills in money management through a series of courses.
87. WIFE: While geared towards women and families, this site offers great saving advice for people of all kinds.
88. Motley Fool: Learn more about investing and tracking the markets on this site.
89. WikiInvest: If you’ve never paid much attention to the markets, this site offers a wealth of information.

Multi-Subject

These sites offer a wide range of educational videos that will help you learn basic skills, work better and keep busy in your down time.

90. Video Jug: From eating sushi correctly to helpful business skills, this site offers some great video tutorials.
91. TrickLife: This site is home to thousands of tutorials that will help you fix up your house, promote your business and just about anything else.
92. MyTutorials: On this site you can search through existing tutorials or suggest one of your own.
93. Wikiversity: With almost 12,000 learning resources, this site offers a chance to learn about physics, business and much more.
94. Tutorial Ninja: The tutorials on this site are mostly tech-focused.
95. SuTree: Check out this site to watch thousands of instructional videos.
96. eHow: Formerly Expert Village, this site offers a range of instructional videos and articles.
97. Instructables: This site focuses on DIY projects, from creating great Halloween costumes to other fun ways to use your free time.
98. 5min: All of the tutorials on this site are five minutes and under.
99. Find Tutorials: Use this site to search through thousands of educational tutorials.
100. WonderHowTo: This how-to site is full of great and often practical instruction.

While most of us spend our college educations taking the standard, required courses, there are more than just the basics out there when it comes to college classes. Some of these 100 courses walk the line between useful knowledge and the ridiculous, though many others offer great educational opportunities despite having names that don’t do them justice. Read through this list to see if you can find a course to spice up your education.

Literature and Language

These courses will help you learn to do a wide variety of things, from conversing with the elves of Lord of the Rings to analyzing the deeper meanings of zombies and vampires in popular literature.

1. Arguing with Judge Judy: Popular ‘Logic’ on TV Judge Shows: Ever felt like the plaintiffs on TV judge shows have some pretty questionable logic? This class addresses that subject directly, allowing students to pull apart courtroom excuses just like Judge Judy. [UC Berkeley]
2. The Adultery Novel In and Out of Russia: Who doesn’t love a good tale of adultery? This class asks students to consider it as a literary theme, however racy or immoral it may be. [U Penn]
3. The Vampire in Literature and Cinema: The growing popularity of vampires in popular media should make many students out there pretty jealous they can’t take this class focusing on the infamous bloodsuckers. [U of Wisconsin]
4. Invented Languages: Klingon and Beyond: You don’t have to be a sci-fi nerd to appreciate the subject matter in this course at the U of Texas focusing on the reasons, rules and social realities of created languages. [U of Texas, Austin]
5. Elvish, the language of "Lord of the Rings": This course was taught by the world’s foremost expert on this language, who was even a consultant to the makers of the films. While not practical, it certainly speaks to super fans of the series. [U of Wisconsin]
6. Harry Potter Lit: If you want to appreciate the Harry Potter novels as more than just a fun read, head to Ohio State to spend good money exploring the larger themes within the seven book series. [Ohio State]
7. Those Sexy Victorians: While sexy usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an era shocked by the sight of ankle, this course delves into the interest in sexual matters behind the prudish exterior during the Victorian era. [Ole Miss]
8. The Living and UnDead: An Inquiry into Zombies in Cinema and Literature: While you might often feel like a zombie stumbling to your early morning classes, this course takes a deeper look at what is so fascinating and horrifying about these brain-craving monsters. [Ole Miss]

History

Learn about the aspects of history that are often overlooked in these courses.

9. The Phallus: Explore the role this part of the male body has played in society from the early, often sexist works of Freud to newer feminist theories. [Occidental College]
10. American Degenerates: Learn more about the relationship between writers and early Americans and their sense of personal identity in this course. [Brown]
11. Comparative History of Organized Crime: While the streets may be education enough for real gangsters, this course aims to teach students about the history and culture of the mafia around the world. [Williams College]
12. European Witchcraft: While so-called witches are still around today, you can learn about the origins of what people thought were witches and the often extreme and illogical measures they took to get rid of them. [Oneonta College]
13. Sex, Rugs, Salt & Coal: Not only does this course have a snappy name, it also is full of topics students find compelling, including sex, slavery, money and more. [Cornell]
14. Age of Piracy: Johnny Depp’s kooky but sexy Jack Sparrow has gotten many students interested in learning more about the pirating arts, and this course offers them the chance to take a look at the much less appealing, real-life lives of pirates. [Arizona State]

Sociology, Psychology and Anthropology

Gain a deeper understanding of social and cultural issues through these courses on often touchy subjects.

15. The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil: This course examines a question that many people ask themselves–how can good people do bad things? [MIT]
16. Border Crossings, Borderlands: Transnational Feminist Perspectives on Immigration: Here you can understand what feminists think about immigration. [U of Washington]
17. The American Vacation: Study your vacation time more closely with the knowledge this historical and social course offers. [U of Iowa]
18. Mail Order Brides? Understanding the Philippines in Southeast Asian Context: As off-putting as it sounds to most people, mail order brides are a real thing, and students at this prestigious university can learn why the phenomenon exists and is so prevalent in the Philippines through this course. [Johns Hopkins]
19. Whiteness: The Other Side of Racism: This course teaches students about their role as white members of society and has been much criticized for promoting guilt about students’ race. [Mount Holyoke College]
20. Alien Sex: Explore the weird, wild and depraved aspects of sex between humans and monsters alike. [University of Rochester]
21. Daytime Serials: Family and Social Roles: Students in Wisconsin can take this course that explores the familial relationships of characters on soap operas–essential for those who just can’t get enough of their programs. [U of Wisconsin]
22. It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine): While we all hope the world won’t be ending anytime soon, this course explores the variety of Armageddon scenarios out there and why we’re so obsessed with the end of it all. [Alfred U]
23. Purity and Porn in America: Through this course, students can learn about the role between sexuality and modesty–taking a hard look at the way it’s dealt with in modern society. [Alfred U]
24. UFOs In American Society: If you’re the Fox Mulder type, then you’ll be jealous of students at Temple U who get to learn more about the role of UFOs in popular culture in this course. [Temple U]
25. The Good, the Bad, and the Revolting: You might think you know what is revolting and what’s not, but this course offers to teach you what it really means to be disgusting, shameful and pitiful–among other things. [Alfred U]

Science

Make your science education a little more interesting with these courses that draw on sexuality, garbage and fiction for inspiration.

26. The Science of Superheroes: While it might sound like fun and games, this course takes superheroes as a means to teach students real lessons about physics. [U of California Irvine]
27. The Science of Harry Potter: Unicorns and magical spells might not be real, but this course addresses the magical happenings of the Harry Potter series through a scientific lens, applying physics to things like quidditch. [Frostberg]
28. Joy of Garbage: While it might sound like an ideal course for clutterbugs, this course is actually designed to teach students how to manage garbage and encourage them to make less waste and recycle more. [UC Berkeley]
29. "Far Side" Entomology: The much-beloved Far Side comics form the basis for this course that addresses the relationship between people and insects. [Oregon State]
30. Facial Reconstruction: This course isn’t so much ridiculous as it is weird, being one of the few in the country that teaches students how to puzzle together the bones of the face to help figure out the identity of recovered remains. [U of Montana]
31. The Amazing World of Bubbles: No, this course isn’t about bubble baths or even bubble wrap. Instead, it explores the energy potential of the bubble. [Cal-Tech]
32. FemSex: Women of all ages and orientations enrolled in this course, teaching women about different definitions of sex, orgasms, sexual norms and even taboos like incest. [Carleton College]

Technology

With technology becoming such a major part of everyday life, it’s no wonder these courses have sprung up on college campuses nationwide.

33. The Strategy of Starcraft: Fans of this game say it’s one of the most difficult to master, but this course at Berkeley aims to help students learn the game better through lessons from one of its creators. [UC Berkeley]
34. Cyberporn and Society: WIth the internet housing more porn that one could look at in a lifetime, this course explores the role of porn in the development of the web and the effects it has had on relationships and expectations. [U of New York - Buffalo]
35. Cyberfeminism: Learn just what the heck cyberfeminism is in this course. [Cornell]
36. Learning from YouTube: If you can’t figure out how to watch videos and learn on your own, this course will teach you how. [Pitzer College]
37. Personal Robots: Like something out of the Jetsons, this course offers students a chance to learn about the development of little helper robots. [MIT]
38. Human Computer Interaction: Whether you love or hate your computer, you can learn more about the relationships people develop with their machines from this course. [MIT]
39. The Anthropology of Computing: What role does your computer play in your life? In society? This course examines how computers function in culture and change human communications. [MIT]
40. Lego Robotics: Legos can help you build more than just that TIE Fighter, they can also be used to make real robots, as this course will show students. [MIT]
41. Human Beings and the Machines of Sunshine: While this course is based on the technical, it addresses more of the social issues that have arisen since machines have become more and more a part of daily life. [Rice]
42. Street-Fighting Mathematics: While math and street-fighting aren’t two things that logically fall together, this course shows students that there is a way to analyze fighting through a mathematical pattern–something that might get you beat up in the first place. [MIT]
43. Games and Civic Engagement: Learn about the role video games might play in the future of education and community programs through this course. [MIT]

Philosophy

These courses promise to help you think deeply about philosophical and religious issues while often using pop culture as a reference point.

44. The Simpsons and Philosophy: While the Simpsons may appear to be just good entertainment, this course shows the deeper philosophical issues under all those "d’ohs." [UC Berkeley]
45. Philosophy and Star Trek: Students who take this class will not only get to watch Star Trek, but delve into the issues the show discusses like time travel, a sense of reality, free will and more. [Georgetown]
46. Star Trek and Religion: Look at religion through the lens of the Star Trek world, with discussions that address both supporting and criticizing religion. [U of Indiana]
47. Myth and Science Fiction: Star Wars, The Matrix, and Lord of the Rings: Explore larger issues of myth and speculative fiction through these popular movies. [Centre College]
48. Taking Marx Seriously: The oddest thing about this course’s name is that it implies that people haven’t been taking Marx seriously, odd considering the antipathy towards the economist and social theorist since the Cold War. [Amherst]

Music

Explore music from some different perspectives in these courses.

49. Queer Musicology: According to this course, those who are homosexual create and experience music differently than their straight counterparts. While many experts in the field see this as a growing field of study, most outside were quite critical when this course was introduced in the 90s. [UCLA]
50. History of Electronic Dance Music: If you love clubbing or just the thudding beats of dance music, you can learn more about where it came from and where it’s going in this course. [UCLA]
51. The Beatles: True Beatles fans can learn everything there is to know about the band in this course, though unfortunately there is no extra credit for mastering their catalog on Expert on Rock Band. [UCLA]
52. Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang: Embrace your inner thug with this course that explores the history of gangsta rap. [Oberlin Experimental College]
53. Introduction to Turntablism: Students who have dreamt of being great DJs can add to their college experience by taking this class on the art and business of operating the turntable. [Oberlin Experimental College]

Visual Arts

From videogames to horror films, these courses help college students analyze visual culture.

54. Underwater Basket Weaving: Here it is, the course that has been the butt of numerous jokes about the declining quality of college education in America. Yes, it really exists and you can take it at this school and others for credit. [Reed College]
55. Muppet Magic: Jim Henson’s Art: Explore the fine art of elaborate puppetry through this course. [UC Santa Cruz]
56. Dirty Pictures: Take a look at the history and art of sexy, dirty and explicit photos in this course. [Rhode Island School of Design]
57. The Horror Film in Context: If you love a good scare, consider this course at Bowdoin to gain a better understanding of the format of the horror film. [Bowdoin College]
58. The Road Movie: From Easy Rider to Thelma and Louise, this course looks at the road trip movie and the concept of the journey. Curiously omitted was the college age favorite Road Trip. [Barnard College]
59. The Art of Sin and the Sin of Art: This course will look not only at controversial artwork but also at the practice of creating art and its moral implications. [Rhode Island School of Design]
60. The Art of Warcraft: A Closer Look at the Virtual World Phenomenon: Through this course, nerds and artists alike can learn about the aesthetics of the video game world. [Oberlin Experimental College]

Physical Education and Recreation

These courses help students all over the nation stay in shape and get active.

61. PE for ME: This course is pretty much phys ed for nerds, using physical activity to teach lessons about mechanical engineering. [MIT]
62. Xtreme Lit: If you like to get totally extreme, then this course would be for you, asking students to engage in sometimes adventurous recreational activities while reading authors who loved the great outdoors. [Northern Illinois]
63. Whitewater Skills: What would college be without learning how to manage some rapids? This course offers to teach students just that. [West Virginia U]
64. Circus Stunts: Whether you want to join the circus or just need a more interesting workout, this course can teach you all kinds of acrobatics. [Triton College]
65. The Art of Walking: While you would think that most able-bodied students would know how to walk by the time they entered college, this course hopes to teach them to do it better, and more consciously. [Centre College]
66. Tree Climbing: Students who never learned to climb a tree as a child can now receive college-level education in the subject through this course. [Cornell]
67. American Golf: Aristocratic Pastime or the People’s Game?: Through this course, students learn about the history and social aspects of golf. [Carnegie Mellon]
68. Knitting for Noobs: For many students, it’s totally worth the cost of a college course to learn how to knit a few scarves. [Oberlin Experimental College]
69. Golf Course Management: This practical course will teach students how to take care of those greens and pesky sand traps. [Tarleton State]

Popular Culture

Focusing on popular culture phenomena and icons, these courses catch a lot of guff for their seemingly superficial subject matter.

70. Oprah Winfrey: The Tycoon: While no longer offered, this course gave students a chance to look deep into the life of one of the most successful and recognizable women in the world. [U of Illinois - Urbana]
71. How to Watch Television: Though most of us are pretty adept at turning on the TV and vegging out, this course aims to teach students how to watch TV actively. [Montclair]
72. Through the Darkness of Future-Past: An Exploration of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Delve into the weird world of this TV cult classic in this course. [Oberlin Experimental College]
73. Breaking the Rules: An Intellectual Discussion of Fight Club: While perhaps not the newest movie, this film (and the book it’s based upon, presumably) still elicits enough interest to have a course that talks all about the issues addressed within it. [Oberlin Experimental College]
74. Video Game History: Rise of a New Medium: Whether you loved your NES back in the day or can’t get enough X Box, this course teaches students about the history of games and where they’re headed in the future. [Oberlin Experimental College]
75. The Future is Lost: TV Series as Cultural Phenomenon: Some people might feel that Lost deserves its own course just because it’s so darn hard to figure out what’s happening on the series, but this course goes deeper, examining the popularity of shows like this and their expansion into other media. [Tufts]
76. Goldberg’s Canon: Makin’ Whoopi: While not offered since 2004, this course was the first and only to examine the sometimes controversial public persona of this comedienne, actress and now daytime talk show host. [Bates]
77. Chosen: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Those who were addicted to Buffy can now examine the series in-depth through the material presented in this course. [Oberlin Experimental College]
78. The Office: Awesome, Awkward, & Addicting: Let’s hope this course on the popular show isn’t nearly as uncomfortable to watch. [Oberlin Experimental College]
79. Calvin & Hobbes: This iconic comic was much more than just simple Saturday morning entertainment–or so this course aims to show. [Oberlin Experimental College]
80. Superheroes: What do superheroes really mean in our culture? Why create such figures? This course examines this and a myriad of other issues. [Oberlin Experimental College]
81. American Pro Wrestling: While the words "MIT" and "pro wrestling" may not be two you’d bring together, this course asks students at the tech-savvy school to think about the cultural implications of the often-theatrical wrestling world. [MIT]
82. American Soap Operas: What is it about soap operas that makes them so addicting? Students at MIT get a chance to delve into the logic behind these series in this course. [MIT]
83. It’s News to Me: the Role of Media in Your Life: Most of us may not even realize how big of a role the media plays in our lives, but this course aims to bring it to the forefront. [Ole Miss]
84. Zombies in Popular Media: Every year it seems like there are more and more movies about zombies. What is the fascination with these fictional creatures? Students at Columbia College can take this course and become zombie experts. [Columbia College-Chicago]

Food and Drink

Everybody has to eat, so why not learn more about it from these courses?

85. Food and Power in the Twentieth Century: In this course, students learn how sometimes having all the food means having all the power. [MIT]
86. Kitchen Chemistry: Students in this course will learn how to turn their kitchens into their own private laboratories, teaching them not only about science but about cooking as well. [MIT]
87. Cultural Aspects of Food: Do foods from your childhood elicit specific emotions from you? This course will delve into what the cultural connections we have with food are and why these relationships are so strong. [Oneonta College]
88. Campus Culture and Drinking: As many students may have been sad to learn, this course doesn’t encourage students to go get trashed, instead asking them to more carefully consider the social and cultural aspects of drinking on campus. [Duke]
89. From Ban to Bar: The History, Politics, & Taste of Chocolate: Chocoholics can take their love of the sweet substance one step further and learn how it goes from the field, gets processed and ends up in their mouths. [Oberlin Experimental College]
90. Maple Syrup: The Real Thing: While most students won’t be pursuing a career as a maple syrup maker, this course offers to teach them everything they need to know about the business, should they decide they need a career change. [Alfred U]

Life Skills

College doesn’t just have to be academic, as these courses that provide valuable life lessons prove.

91. Tightwaddery, or The Good Life on a Dollar a Day: While the title might elicit some laughs, this course offers some sage advice on breaking the bonds of consumerism and fighting back against the status quo. And if that isn’t part of a well-rounded college education then what is? [Alfred]
92. Finding Dates Worth Keeping: Students who find themselves constantly falling in love (or just in bed) with Mr. or Mrs. Wrong can take this course to learn to make better dating decisions. [University of Sioux Falls]
93. Field Equipment Operation: It might have a fancy title, but this class gets down and dirty with teaching students how to drive a tractor. [UC Davis]
94. Getting Dressed: While many students wouldn’t have made it to college without some idea of how to get dressed in the morning, this class takes it one step further and takes a look at what it really means to wear those Uggs or backwards baseball cap. [Princeton]
95. Biblical Model for Home and Family: Here you’ll find a female-only course that will make all but the most traditional women bristle. With lessons on how to properly serve your husband and bake cookies, it’s useful, no doubt–but the lack of a male counterpart course is questionable. [Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary]
96. Furniture Making: While you might already feel like you know how to build furniture after a few intense Ikea assemblies, this course will teach you more in-depth ways of building just about anything around the home. [MIT]
97. How to Learn (Almost) Anything: While it might seem odd to take a course on how to learn from the rest of your courses, this practical class from MIT asks students to use technology and tools to stretch their minds. [MIT]

Miscellaneous

These courses touch on a wide range of interesting, if not always normal, subject matter.

98. Nonviolent Responses to Terrorism: Recent news reports tell that most students today don’t even know what year 9/11 happened. With the memory of terrorism in the distant past (or so it seems) this course seems more and more relevant as anger fades and the American public grows tired of conflict. [Swarthmore College]
99. Stupidity: What better topic to rail against at college than stupidity? This course examines it at depth from literary, social and philosophical perspectives. [Occidental]
100. Daylighting: No, this course doesn’t refer to the opposite of moonlighting, it is designed to help students learn to better light things with, what else, the sun. [MIT]

Online universities have become a wave of the future through the many doors they open for people who may not be able to go out and attend classes on an everyday basis.  With the recent boom in interest for many programs that are only available through online classes, many business professionals have found an alternate way in which to receive an extra degree amidst the hubbub which every-day life brings. 
   
Many online universities are geared toward students who do not have the means to attend classes on a day-to-day basis, due to family or job obligations.  Online universities have therefore allowed these students the opportunity to receive their first degree or a supplemental degree without severely disrupting their life schedule.  While these schools still administer the same responsibilities and procedures that ordinary universities do, they offer a way to attend classes while still holding onto your everyday life.  Going back to school or even finishing schools gets exceedingly difficult once you have a stable job or children since these responsibilities ordinarily take precedence over homework and studies.  However, the pain of traveling to and from class is lessened by the option of online universities.  The lack of a commute additionally frees up time that may have been spent driving and allows you to instead focus on completing homework or exams.
   
If online universities are your first foray into the continuing education world, they offer a world of opportunities as well as convenience.  More and more online universities are forming every month, each of which offer new degrees and scholarships.  The types of vast opportunities that are offered through the many different schools allow students to delve into a wealth of knowledge through different classes, each degree pertaining to their own individual interests.   Even if you are unsure what field you want to focus on, each school offers enough classes that you will be able to determine what degree you are best suited for.  The fact that you can attend classes while still holding onto your outside life is a revolutionary concept in itself and has thus far allowed many people to further their education than ever have before.  First-time students additionally do not have the added pressures of attending a huge state school with hundreds of students in every class, but simply have the added opportunity to communicate one on one with every professor in a more comfortable environment.  Online universities have opened up doors for people around the country and will only continue to catch on as technology advances even further!