The 2012 About.com Readers' Choice Awards are annual awards, chosen by readers, that recognize the best of the best. Here on the College Life site, the awards are meant to recognize those services and resources that make college students' lives better -- or at least a little easier.
The timeline for the awards will take place as follows:
- Nominations are accepted from January 18, 2012 through February 15, 2012.
- Online voting will take place from February 22, 2012 through March 21, 2012.
- Winners will be announced on March 30, 2012.
Please note that the About.com Guide to College Life, Kelci Lynn Lucier, will be facilitating the process. She will select the final nominees based on the number and quality of nominations received. For more information on the awards, please visit the About.com Readers' Choice Awards homepage.
And now, without further ado, the categories for 2012 are ....
1. Best Site for College Students, by College Students
Amidst everything else they have going on, some college students are able to make some truly kickin' sites that speak about the college experience, provide advice for their fellow students, or simply provide other information to make college life easier.
This year's finalists for the "Best Site for College Students, by College Students" award include Her Campus, On Campus Sports, and UVM Bored. Make sure to vote for your favorite before time runs out!
2. Best Site for Renting College Textbooks
As the option to rent college textbooks has become increasingly popular, the number of online vendors has also increased. And while renting college textbooks can save students some serious money, it can be difficult to know which sites are the best priced, most reliable, and most trustworthy.
Even though the field of textbook rental is relatively new, there are some clear leaders in the field already. BookRenter, Chegg, College Book Renter, and Neebo all rose to the top during the nomination process. Cast your vote today for the company you think deserves to win!
3. Best Site for Buying College Textbooks
While your campus bookstore may be nice and convenient, it can also be very expensive. Fortunately, as more companies offer the option of purchasing college textbooks online, college students are presented with more options about where to purchase their books each semester.
Of course, the ease and reduced costs of buying your books online can quickly be negated if you get stuck with a less-than-ideal vendor. This year, AbeBooks, Amazon, eCampus, Neebo, and Textbooks.com all made it through the nomination phase. If you've had a great experience at one of these online booksellers, make sure to cast your vote before the polls close.
4. Best Book on Adjusting to College Life
Let's be honest: Adjusting to college life is no easy task. And while you can get advice from your friends and parents, sometimes you just need a different, trustworthy perspective.
Fortunately, there's no shortage of "How to Adjust to College" books on the market. Unfortunately, however, not all of them provide the best advice. The 2012 finalists for this award include 1001 Things Every College Student Needs to Know, Everything You Need to Know Before College, How to Survive Your Freshman Year, The Naked Roommate, and Navigating Your Freshman Year. Make sure to cast your vote for your favorite book if you've found it to be helpful in preparing you for all the chaos that is your college life.
