YouTube is the place to go to for information. Whether you need to learn the easiest way to chop an onion, replace a headlamp on your Nissan, or master the art of macramé, YouTube comes through better than any cookbook, handyman magazine, or Dummies guide ever could. But can this video-based social media platform actually help a struggling college student improve their grades? It turns out that it can.
There are YouTube channels designed specifically to help you master everything from a foreign tongue to a complex physics concept. Yes, if one of your classes has you discombobulated, YouTube can come to your rescue.
YouTube Can Untwist Your Tongue
Are you having problems grasping grammar “en Français?” Is your Spanish accent not quite up to par? No sweat. YouTube can help you dazzle your professors with your mastery of class material.
- The Spanish Blog. If you’ve always wanted your own Spanish tutor, but couldn’t afford it, this is the channel for you. With lessons available in every level from beginner to advanced, you can, finally, get a firm grasp on your pronunciation. Thanks to Laura Garrido Eslava, you can master new words–you may find her “How to Swear in Spanish” particularly useful–and write in Spanish more proficiently.
- FrenchPod101.com. This effective learning channel offers easy-to-follow lessons for anyone who wants to learn French. Whether you’re new to the tongue or simply want to become more fluent, FrenchPod101.com offers everything from colloquialisms and expanding your vocabulary to listening comprehension and improving pronunciation. And each lesson is followed by a quick quiz to assess your understanding.
YouTube Can Open Other College Doors
Every once in a while you will likely encounter a professor whose teaching methods are…um…incongruent with your learning style. Yeah, that’s it. And, sometimes, they simply suck. Well, thanks to YouTube you can now have the same concepts explained in a whole new way by different professors who don’t suck.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With the goal of “generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge,” MIT’s YouTube channel enables students to watch a host of videos relating to science, mathematics, technology and many other areas of study. Whether you are seeking information on the Quantum description of light, Kinetics and Equilibrium, How to Do Market Segmentation, or a Writing Workshop, this channel has it all.
- UC Berkley. The University of California, Berkeley’s YouTube channel offers a wide selection of course materials pertaining to a huge array of subjects including Law, Psychology, Computer Science, Economics, Bioengineering, and more.
And It Can Mentor In Your Major–and Your Minor
No matter what your specialty is, YouTube more than likely has a channel devoted to it. So stop relying solely on textbooks and mind-numbing lectures to train your brain and deepen your understanding with one of these offerings.
- HipHughesHistory. University of Buffalo Professor, Keith Hughes, has created an impressive repertoire of lectures that are perfect for the History major. This upbeat collection includes everything from the Elastic Clause or Demographics for Dummies to the Industrial Revolution Explained or the Election of 2000.
- Periodic Table of Videos. Chemistry students rejoice. This channel devoted completely to “all things chemistry,” including a video dedicated to each element, is the perfect choice to compliment your chemistry classes.
- Mr. Robb’s Math Videos. Is Algebra kicking your butt? Does Calculus make your head hurt? Don’t fret. Mr. Robb’s YouTube channel will save the day. If you need to figure out Rolle’s Theorem, Permutations, or Slope Fields–without succumbing to a migraine–this is the place to go.
Has your curiosity been piqued? “YouTube’s Educational Channels Offer Wealth of Lessons” offers a number of other topnotch offerings that will expand your mind, including Crash Course, Ted-Ed, and Numberphile.
Thanks to YouTube you can utter a big “Phew!” You don’t have to re-read your texts until you’re cross-eyed. And, no, you don’t have to fork out big bucks for a tutor. By taking advantage of YouTube’s specialty channels you can, finally, grasp that concept–and land yourself an “A.”
What is your favorite educational YouTube Channel? Why?