Back up everything, today
More students lose points to a dead laptop than to a hard exam. Keep 3 copies, on 2 kinds of storage, with 1 somewhere else. Your future self at 2 a.m. will thank you.
For new Cougars · FST 101
Start college ready.
A kit of entirely free tools that will make you a better student, on their own or working alongside the Microsoft Copilot and GitHub Copilot assistants you already get as an SIUE student.
It is major-agnostic, useful whether you are studying mass communications, nursing, engineering, or anything else, and it is organized to move with you through the eight weeks of your FST 101 first-year seminar. No credit card, no trials, no catch.
Follow the 8 weeks ↓ Browse the full toolkit →
In Dr. Leith's FST 101 sections T07 or T08? Meeting times, rooms, and dates for your section →
Before any app
Four habits that matter most.
Use AI honestly
AI is a real study partner, and an easy way to accidentally cheat. Follow each syllabus, disclose when you use it, and verify everything: it invents citations and gets math wrong.
Keep private things private
Cloud AI sends your words to a company. Never paste grades, IDs, or health info into it. When you need AI on sensitive material, run it locally on your own laptop instead.
Free is not lesser
These are the same tools researchers and working professionals use every day. You do not need to pay for software to do excellent work in college.
Your FST 101 semester
Eight weeks, eight setups.
Each week of FST 101 pairs with a small, concrete setup you can finish in an afternoon. Do them in order and by week eight you will have a complete, free system for the rest of your degree.
The week titles and their order match the FST 101 course shell in Blackboard, so week five here is the same week five your instructor is teaching. Blackboard is still the official source for assignments, points, and due dates. Nothing on this page is graded.
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Week 1
Introducing the Class
Get your digital life ready before the work starts. Claim the free accounts you already have, set up a password manager, and get comfortable moving around Blackboard.
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Week 2
The How's and Why's of College
Find your one thing, and be reachable when it finds you back. Get your SIUE mail and your calendar into one place, and claim the student accounts that are already free to you.
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Week 3
Preparing for Academic Success
Build a system that catches your readings and lectures, and never miss a deadline again. Pick a notes app, mark up your PDFs, and put every due date in one calendar.
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Week 4
Effective Study Skills
Study smarter, not longer. Use spaced-repetition flashcards for what you actually have to memorize, and let a private AI quiz you over your own notes.
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Week 5
Belonging at SIUE
Work well with people who are not like you, and make what you produce reach everyone. Collaborate in shared documents, sketch ideas together, and keep a clean copy of anything you drafted on paper.
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Week 6
The SIUE Curriculum and Finding Your Path
Map the degree, not just the semester. Lay out how a pathway, a major, and the general education requirements actually connect, then write down why you picked what you picked. If your path is a creative one, start with the media tools in the toolkit.
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Week 7
Tailoring Your SIUE Experience
Own your plan. Keep your advising notes where you can find them again, walk into the appointment with real questions written down, and track your path from one semester to the next.
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Week 8
Your Next Steps
Make it last. Lock in automatic backups, tidy up your systems, and carry these habits into the rest of your degree.
Everything in one place
The full toolkit.
Nine categories, three dozen free tools: writing, notes, study, research, AI, media, coding, organization, and security. Each one explains what it does and why it helps, with Windows and Mac options.
You are not on your own
Find your people.
Getting involved is the surest predictor of a good first year. The AURA Lab studies how people communicate through streams, virtual worlds, and social platforms, and it works with undergraduates from any background and no prior experience. If any of this sparked something, that is a good enough reason to say hello.
aleith@siue.edu → How to get involved with the lab → SIUE Mass Communications →