By Basma Humadi, Assistant Lifestyle Editor
Being a Mason student comes with its advantages. Aside from its crisp red and yellow leaves lining trees across campus in autumn, diverse student body, and coming-soon Chipotle, there is an abundance of perks, either discounted or free, which comes with being a Mason student. These perks are especially helpful for the struggling college student.
Free Movie Ticket for University Mall: Getting to kick back and catch a flick once the week’s over is a nice stress reliever from the pressures of everyday homework and assignments. Mason students can receive one free weekly movie ticket for University Mall Theatres. Students can receive them by stopping by the Student Involvement office in the Hub.
Free Donut with Drink Purchase at Dunkin Donuts: At the Dunkin Donuts in University Mall, Mason students can receive a free donut with any drink purchase if they show their Mason ID. For the coffee deprived and hungry, it’s worth the trip.
NYTimes and other Newspaper/Magazine Subscriptions: Mason offers free online subscriptions and access to the New York Times, The Economist, Financial Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education and Dow Jones’ Factiva News Page. As college students, staying informed is always important and relevant. Students can get access through the Mason library online.
Discounted Subscription Services: Of course, the essentials: discounted Amazon Prime, which entails a six month free-trial for students and 50% off Amazon Prime membership for any college student, a reduced monthly fee of $4.99 for Apple Music, and a reduced monthly fee of $4.99 and access to Hulu with any student Spotify subscription.
Renting Camera Equipment: Mason’s IT Services, through STAR Lab, gives students access to check out any camera equipment they may need: tripods, microphones, light kits, audio recorders and high-end video and point-and-shoot cameras. Start that YouTube channel. Make that award-winning film festival movie. It’s possible.
Free Courses at Lynda.com: Lynda.com is an online learning platform where individuals can watch tutorials and take video courses in various subjects. Subjects focus on topics stemming from software, creative, and business skills and courses can be taken in up to five different languages. Mason students and faculty get free access to lynda.com and work on building tools they’ll need to have in the future.
HBO GO for on-campus students: Get caught up on the much-discussed and always-watched “Game of Thrones” or reminiscence in the comfort of Carrie Bradshaw and her gal pals in “Sex and the City”. From movies, television, documentaries, and comedy specials, HBO and Mason has you covered. Maybe now you can stop sharing your Netflix or mooching off your friend’s HBO account.
Access to Rosetta Stone: “I can teach you how to speak my language, Rosetta Stone,” rapper Drake says in his song, ‘Over’. Luckily, this is an option since Mason students can get access and learn thirty different languages with Rosetta Stone by searching it on Mason’s library. Picking up a language is now a potential pastime thanks to the convenience of learning languages with Rosetta Stone.
Jump start from Parking Services: Hopefully your car battery doesn’t die and you don’t need to jump start your car. Yet, if that just so happens and your car is parked on campus, call Parking Services at Mason and they’ll give you a jump free-of-charge.
Not free but discounts in the area:
Buy one get one free Tuesdays at Qdoba: Located at the Main Street Marketplace, any customer can come in on Tuesdays and buy one entree and get another one free. It’s perfect for lunch dates with friends or if you’re just really, really hungry.
Smoothie King $5 Fridays: The #SmoothieSquad can finally reunite with Smoothie King’s $5 Fridays for medium-sized smoothies. Located at the Main Street Marketplace, Smoothie King is the place to be.
Illustration by Mary Jane DeCarlo
