One of the cool things about OOo is that it is a free, full-featured office productivity software that can be used across multiple platforms. This is really appealing for students, who are often on a limited budget.

The following is a list of ways that students can use OpenOffice.org for their daily lives.

#1 – Assignments and Research Papers

This is probably the most obvious. OOo Writer is a word processor that will meet most student needs in this regard, and there are a lot of resources out there to assist students with this.

• Gabriel Gurly has put together a tutorial on how to Create and Format a Research Paper using OpenOffice.org 3
• I have also added to this with a free Report & Essay template
• This MLA Formatted paper was designed for people who use MLA formatting in school
• This template pack has a number of different report and presentation templates, in addition to other useful templates to assist you in submitting quality papers and presentations

#2 – Time Management

There are many templates that you can use to plan out your days and weeks – if you are not into digital appointment books, then this might be an ideal solution for you, as sometimes it’s just a good idea to have a calendar or planner up where you can see it.

• See the large variety on the OpenOffice.org Templates website
• You can even get calendars that have public holidays for your country – here is a calendar with Malaysian Public Holidays, and here is a calendar with Singapore public holidays, for example.
• In some cases, you may want weekly planners, that allow you to see each hour in your week at a glance

#3 – Examination Preparation

If you need to prepare for your upcoming examinations, OOo can be used to assist you in finding a suitable way for you to approach revision.

• OpenCards is a free OpenOffice.org extension that works with Impress to create flashcards on your computer
• You can use OOo Draw to create Mind Maps of each chapter of the materials that you need to cover for examination preparation
• Of course, there is always the traditional way of using Writer to summarise notes for each chapter or topic

#4 – Budgeting & Finance

Students have limited finances and often keeping track of that can be a pain. You can use some budgeting or financial spreadsheets to assist you in getting through the week or month.

• Vortex Inc has a Money Management template for OpenOffice.org Calc and a personal Budget Template
• You can try this free Home Budget worksheet which works in both Calc and Excel (don’t forget to allow macros to work, in order for you to use this spreadsheet).

#5 – Getting a Job

Whether it be a part time job while you’re studying, or applying for jobs after college, OpenOffice.org can assist.

• Need assistance in creating a cover letter for job applications – this template pack has a number of professional and personal layouts that will be suitable for putting the cover page to go with your job application so that you can put your best foot forward!
• The Powerful Sample Resume Formats site has a number of resume and cover letter formats and lots of useful information, unfortunately some of their templates have broken links. A friend of mine particularly liked one format and sought my help to transform it into an OpenOffice.org Cover Page Template. Visit their site, however, for loads of information.
• You will also need a resume, which outlines your skills accumulated to date. The following are some links to resume templates and guides:
  • Basic Resume Template
  • Resume Template – Table Format
  • Resume Template – Outline Format

As a student, you may not be familiar with resume contents, so please visit this resume layout PDF with instructions, and the about.com Jobsearch website for information on how to complete resumes and cover letters for recent graduates that may not have as much experience.

And Good Luck!

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