The Observer’s Guide to Free Resources for OHS Students

OHS Pixel plushies encourage you to explore these free resources!

Stanford OHS

OHS Pixel plushies encourage you to explore these free resources!

The OHS Observer has assembled a list of online resources that are available to OHS students through their Stanford accounts, encompassing design and programming software tools, journal subscriptions (both news-related and academic), and much more! We hope that this is useful for you

Academic Journal/Resource Access

  • Stanford Libraries provides access to online academic resources and research support services that are useful for many OHS classes as well as for independent research! Follow the set-up instructions at this link to connect to e-resources.
  • JSTOR is another useful database for academic books, journals, and primary sources. Access it through your SUNet ID here.
  • Wall Street Journal provides free memberships for students which include unlimited access to the website and WSJ app, podcasts, curated newsletters, and e-books. Sign up through this link by entering “Stanford University” into the “See if your university offers WSJ Memberships” selection and following the ensuing steps.

Design and Software Development Resources

  • Unity is a real-time development platform that allows you to build and share 2D and 3D games, animations, architectural designs, and more! Students 16 years and older can sign up for a free Unity Pro account through this link; under “High school students,” click on “Get started,” create an account, and wait for verification.
  • GitHub, a Git repository hosting service for software developers, offers a Student Development Pack that includes free GitHub Pro as well as many offers from partner institutions, such as a free 12-month Canva Pro subscription, free one-year domain registrations through various companies, six months of Dashlane Premium for password management, and a free professional plan for Typeform. Sign up for the GitHub Student Development Pack here!
  • JetBrains is a software development toolkit with a wide variety of tools for planning work, collaborating, and building and shipping code that supports many development platforms and languages; the full tool list can be found here. JetBrains offers free educational licenses (valid for one year but renewable free of charge) that you can access through your Stanford email address. Through this link, click on “Apply now” and apply through either the “University email address” (enter your school .edu address) or “Official document” (upload a student document showing OHS affiliation) options. Be sure to specify your level of study as “Secondary”.
  • Autodesk is a 3D design and engineering software creator that offers products such as TinkerCAD, Fusion 360, AutoCAD, and Maya which are ideal for 3D printing, animation, and rendering. Sign up for a free, renewable one-year Autodesk Student account, for access to all Autodesk products, through this link. During the registration process, list your institution as “Stanford University.”
  • Figma is a design space for designing and prototyping in UI, UX, or graphic design and more. it also offers shareable online whiteboards with diagramming, brainstorming, and design capacities – perfect for collaborating on group projects, hosting club meetings, and more! Students and educators 13 years and older can sign up for Figma’s free Education Plan for a two-year, renewable pro account, which includes unlimited projects and teams and third party integrations. Through this link, click on “Get verified”; when asked for an institution, enter “Stanford University.”
  • Adobe offers a 62% discount for students and teachers on its Adobe Creative Cloud toolkit, which includes document management and design tools such as Acrobat Reader DC, Photoshop, and Illustrator – perfect for all the creatives in the OHS community! Sign up for a Creative Cloud membership here, and write either “Stanford Online High School” or “Stanford University” at the “Education status verification” step.

 

Other

  • Kanopy is an online streaming service for “quality, thoughtful entertainment,” with a variety of award-winning and acclaimed movies, foreign films, documentaries, and more. Sign up here using your SUNet ID.
  • Skillshare is an online learning platform that hosts thousands of online classes in areas ranging from photography to entrepreneurship to productivity. Students 16 years and older can receive a 50% discount on a Skillshare membership by applying with their student email address through this link (this is the direct form).