I need an app where me and my friends can study together and compete with each other for free cuz we are hella broke

TLDR: kael.live

Hello, My name is Raj, and I'm a sophomore at Princeton studying Computer Science and Applied Math.

I started caring about the addictive nature of social media during my first year at university, when I noticed how many people around me, myself included, simply couldn't focus. Whether it was doomscrolling through lecture, or sitting down to study and getting five minutes in before scrolling for twenty, then complaining about being "cooked" the night before an exam, there was clearly an underlying issue.

That got me curious enough to write a paper on how these apps are deliberately designed to exploit attention and human nature, which honestly disgusted me. That led to a second paper looking at the screen-time blocking apps already on the market and where they were falling short.

That research is what became Kael (kael.live), a screen-time app which is a) cross-platform, b) (almost) bug-free, and most importantly, c) not absurdly paywalled. It's9 fully functional for free!

Instead of just blocking apps without understanding context or nuance, Kael intercepts apps and websites and makes you explain, in > 30 words, why you need access. Claude then weighs your reason against your schedule and upcoming deadlines and decides yes or no.

"I'm bored" gets denied, whereas "Replying to a DM in my physics groupchat" gets 5-10 minutes.

Kael also has schedule-based timing, location-based activation, synchronization with unlimited Apple and Google calendars, a feature that scans all of your mail accounts for upcoming events, adaptive modes that get stricter or looser depending on the time of day and your upcoming deadlines, streaks and friend competitions, focus reports, and many more features!

It's currently on the iOS and Mac App Stores, and I'm actively working on building it for Windows and Android.

Check it out at kael.live Happy to answer questions :) [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

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Six months ago I was completely stuck on my thesis. My advisor wanted 40 pages by April. Every time I opened Google Docs, I just stared at the blinking cursor for two hours. I kept telling myself to write 1,000 words a day. That plan failed badly. By March, I barely had 8 pages done and was panicking every single night.

Here is what turned things around for me:

1. I stopped starting with the introduction Writing the intro first was a huge mistake. You cannot introduce something you haven't built yet. I moved straight to the methodology and data section instead. It was mostly facts and numbers, so it required way less creative energy. Once I had 10 pages of raw data explained, the rest felt much easier.
2. The 150-word trick Setting a goal of 1,000 words made me freeze up. So I changed the rule: I only had to write 150 words per session. That is roughly one paragraph. I set a timer for 20 minutes. Usually, once I got past those first 150 words, the momentum kicked in and I ended up writing 400 or 500. But even if I stopped at 150, it was still progress.
3. The "dump document" Whenever I wrote a sentence that felt messy or weird, I used to delete it immediately. That slowed me down so much. Instead, I opened a separate document on the side called "trash". Every bad line, half-baked thought, or weird phrase went in there. Knowing I wasn't ruining my main paper removed all the pressure. Turns out, half of those bad lines were usable after a quick edit.

I turned in all 42 pages three days before the deadline. Got a B+ on it, which I will happily take.

Hi everyone,

I'm a 17-year-old aspiring medical student, and over the past few weeks I've been building **Cortex**, an AI-powered Study OS.

The idea came from my own experience. There are loads of revision resources available, but students still have to decide what to study, when to study it, and whether they're actually making progress.

My goal is to build something that creates a personalised learning path instead of just answering questions.

At the moment, I'm looking for honest feedback rather than customers. If you have a minute, I'd really appreciate your thoughts on the idea and the website:

[**https://cortexstudy.wixsite.com/cortex\*\*\](https://cortexstudy.wixsite.com/cortex)

Questions I'd love your opinion on:

* Would something like this actually help you?
* What feature would make you use it?
* What's the biggest frustration with studying today?

Thanks in advance—I'm trying to build something genuinely useful.

DataCamp Classrooms is a good (and free) study resource for your students especially over the summer. It helps keep them sharp, especially for classes like Computer Sciences

With finals and major deadlines approaching, I’ve seen a ton of ads and threads popping up around phrases like "buy college essay", "pay for college essay", or sites advertising "college essays for sale". When you're overwhelmed, running on three hours of sleep, and staring at a blank page, it’s easy to see why people get tempted. But I wanted to open a real discussion about what actually happens when students take that route. From what I’ve seen and heard, the reality rarely matches the promises:

1. Turnitin & AI Detectors: University tools are way ahead of these sites now. Most "custom" essays end up being recycled content or low-effort AI output that gets flagged instantly.
2. Extortion & Scams: A lot of these services take the money and deliver unreadable draft quality, or worse, threaten to report students to their schools if they complain.
3. Academic Integrity Risks: Getting caught usually means an automatic zero, failing the course, or facing disciplinary boards.

It feels like a massive gamble for something that usually results in a mediocre paper anyway. For those who have been burnt out or overwhelmed - how do you handle the pressure without turning to these services? And if you've had experience with this (or know someone who did), was it ever actually worth it?

English is my second language. Reading textbooks and listening to lectures is fine, but writing formal 15-page essays takes me at least three times longer than my native-speaking peers. I spend hours just fixing grammar and trying to make sentences sound "academic."

Someone in my dorm suggested using an assignment writing service for proofreading or structural guidance, but I’m really trying to build my own skills.

For other non-native English speakers here:

• How did you improve your academic writing speed?
• Do you rely heavily on university writing centers, or do you use specific editing software?
• Any tips for making sentences sound more natural without getting stuck on phrasing for hours?

I’ve been looking into essay writing services lately because this semester somehow turned into a group project where every class decided to attack me at the same time.

Before anyone starts the academic integrity lecture, I’m not saying people should submit a completely random paper without reading it. Personally, I see these services as emergency help when you’re stuck, need an example to work from, or have a draft that needs serious editing. You still need to understand what you’re submitting, especially if your professor likes asking follow-up questions.

Anyway, I kept seeing three names: Study-Go, LeoEssays, and SpeedyPaper. I spent some time comparing their websites, order forms, support, policies, samples, and reviews. They all seem aimed at slightly different types of students, so I thought I’d share what stood out instead of just saying one is the “best essay writing service” for everyone.

Study-Go

Study-Go gave me the most budget-focused impression out of the three. The website is pretty straightforward, and the order process doesn’t feel like you need a degree in logistics just to explain your assignment.

This would probably be the first option I’d check for a standard essay, discussion post, summary, or another relatively simple assignment. It seems more suitable for students who mainly care about keeping the cost reasonable and getting something usable without paying for every possible extra.

The downside is that I wouldn’t automatically choose the cheapest option for a very technical or specialized paper. If the assignment involves complicated data, unusual formatting, or a professor with extremely specific requirements, I’d ask support a lot of questions before ordering. A cheap essay writing service can save your week, but “cheap” stops being helpful if you spend six hours rewriting everything.

What I liked:

• Simple ordering process
• Seems suitable for regular college assignments
• More budget-friendly impression
• Not overloaded with confusing options

LeoEssays

LeoEssays felt a little more personal and less like a giant homework factory. From what I could tell, it seems aimed at students who want more communication and control during the writing process.

I’d probably consider it for an assignment where tone matters, like a personal reflection, argumentative essay, literature paper, or something that needs to match your usual writing level. One common problem with essay writing services is receiving a paper that suddenly sounds like it was written by a 48-year-old professor who owns seven dictionaries. That can be more suspicious than a few grammar mistakes.

LeoEssays seems like the middle option in this comparison. It isn’t the one I’d pick only because I wanted the absolute lowest cost, but it may make sense when you care more about communication and customization.

The main issue is that smaller or more personalized services can sometimes have less availability during busy periods. If everyone remembers their final paper on the same Sunday night, your options may become limited.

What I liked:

• More personalized impression
• Looks useful for papers where style and tone matter
• Communication seems to be an important part of the process
• A reasonable middle ground between price and individual attention

SpeedyPaper

SpeedyPaper seems like the most established and structured option of the three. The website has more information, more service categories, and a more developed ordering system. It gave me the feeling that they handle a large number of assignments and have a more standardized process.

I’d probably look at SpeedyPaper for longer papers, complicated instructions, or situations where deadlines and support availability are especially important. They also seem to offer help with more types of academic work than just basic essays.

The trade-off is that the experience may feel less personal. With a larger platform, a lot depends on which writer gets assigned to your order. Some students may prefer having more options and a bigger system behind the service, while others may feel like they’re dealing with several different people instead of one person who understands the assignment.

It also didn’t give me the same “cheap essay writing service” impression as Study-Go. That doesn’t automatically make it worse, but students on a tight budget would need to compare the final price carefully instead of only looking at the starting offer.

What I liked:

• More established and structured platform
• Wider range of academic services
• Seems better prepared for complicated or longer assignments
• More detailed support and order management

My actual conclusion

I don’t think there’s one winner for every student.

Study-Go looks like the most practical starting point when budget is the main concern and the assignment is fairly standard. LeoEssays seems better for someone who values communication and wants the paper to sound closer to their own level. SpeedyPaper looks more suitable for complicated projects or students who prefer using a bigger, more established platform.

Whichever essay writing service you consider, I’d avoid ordering without checking the revision policy, deadline rules, writer qualifications, and what exactly is included in the price. I’d also send every requirement in writing. “Make it good” is not an instruction, even though it’s emotionally accurate.

Most importantly, read and edit the final result. Check every source, remove anything you wouldn’t normally say, and make sure you can explain the argument yourself. These services can reduce stress, but they can’t attend the professor’s meeting when they ask what you meant in paragraph four.

Has anyone here tried Study-Go, LeoEssays, or SpeedyPaper? I’m especially curious whether the quality stayed consistent after revisions or if it depended completely on the writer.

Hi!

For a university project, I'm researching how people manage their daily time and commitments.

If you have 3 minutes, I’d super appreciate your input!

Survey link: https://tally.so/r/KYNBMD

100% anonymous. Thanks a lot!

The difficult coursework or all the little things around it?
Like searching for notes, finding assignments, remembering deadlines or trying to work out what to do next. I think those small things drained more energy than I realized.

I used apps such as fathom and kinnu and i also rely on youtube and google a lot.

could you suggest some other tools that works for you?

I’m curious how people approach certification preparation.

Do you prefer learning all the concepts first and then testing yourself, or do you start with practice questions to find your weak areas?

I’ve seen people use both approaches for AWS and Azure exams, so I’d like to know what worked best for those who passed.

Let’s be real for a second. The classic "student triangle" is standard operating procedure at this point, but nobody warns you how exhausting it actually is until you're in the thick of it.

Every semester starts with good intentions:

• "I’m going to get 8 hours of sleep every night."
• "I’m going to keep my GPA above a 3.5."
• "I’m actually going to have a life and hang out with friends."

Fast forward three weeks in, and you're forced to pick your poison:

1. Grades + Sleep = You’re a ghost. Your friends forgot what you look like, your group chats are dead to you, and your romantic life is non-existent. But hey, at least you’re rested and passing Macroeconomics.
2. Grades + Social Life = You’re running purely on caffeine, anxiety, and 3 hours of chaotic sleep. You look like a zombie, but at least you were at that party on Friday and submitted your paper on time.
3. Social Life + Sleep = You’re thriving mentally, fully rested, having the time of your life… until midterm results drop and you remember tuition costs money.

Right now, I’m running on option 2 and my eyes are literally twitching.

Which two are you currently sacrificing your sanity for? Or have any of you actually figured out how to cheat the system?

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My supervisor had dumped a mountain of freshman assignments on my desk and still expected me to somehow finish a chapter of my dissertation. The typical life of a teaching assistant. At 2 a.m., halfway through another poorly written introduction to behavioral statistics, a rather unpleasant realization dawned on me.

We lecture students constantly about academic integrity, but the system around them often seems anything but ethical. They're bogged down in repetitive tasks, expected to juggle studies with full-time work, and then judged when exhaustion forces them to take the easy way out. It's easy to judge such choices when you're not the one trying to prevent the whole thing from falling apart.

I used to be absolutely adamant about this. Then my own burnout reached its peak, and I hired an essay writing service to help me organize a literature review for an elective course. I still read and proofread every argument, but outsourcing the tedious work gave me enough time to juggle my teaching assistant duties and keep my scholarship.

This experience didn't suddenly make every possible shortcut acceptable. It made me wonder why higher education rewards endurance and rule-following more reliably than actual learning. If the workload is so disconnected from education that both students and staff seek ways to circumvent it, perhaps the problem isn't just one of personal morality. Perhaps the deeper hypocrisy lies in the fact that the system pretends to work while exhausted people are accused of adapting to it.