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On Campus Blog
Alex Friedrich

Why CliffsNotes may still be the best cheat sheet

Go Deeper.

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“CliffsNotes is one of the most thorough, one of the most insightful,” Professor Fisher said. “If a student wanted to use it along with the text, it would be worthwhile.”

I swear that back in the day I read both the original novels and the CliffsNotes guides. Really. I was such a nerd that I took seriously that warning on the inside front cover about how I'd jeopardize those precious learning years if I read only the booklet.

Times have changed since then (maybe even the warning). The yellow-and-black booklets are online and have competition -- some of it free.

Check out this New York Times comparison of various college study guides -- including CliffsNotes, SparkNotes and Shmoop -- to see where you get the biggest bang for the buck.

My two cents:The oldie is still a goodie.