These days it’s common for students to make money from selling their study notes. This is often the case especially if that student’s notes are exceptional.
Students will do this as a side hustle to make some extra cash from selling their notes to other students in lower years.
There is a program akin to the above called StudySoup. This product claims that it can provide the same opportunities to earn money from study notes, however, does it deliver on its promises?
The fact that you’ve taken a moment to scrutinize this product before buying it should be applauded. You’ve done yourself a massive favour. Your due diligence will save you from wasting money and time.
A good bit of research always goes a long way in the fight against online scams. The good thing to know is that creating a sustainable full-time online business is not difficult. You just need to know where to look.
Before we proceed I’d like to let you know that I’m not linked to StudySoup in any sort of way and I’m not trying to sell you this product.
Instead, I’d like to show you what StudySoup actually offers to academics and if it can really make you money.
StudySoup Product Review
- Name of Product: StudySoup
- Owner: Unknown
- Type of Product: Study Notes Marketplace
- Cost: Free to join
- Who Is This Product Best For? Absolutely Nobody
StudySoup Product Summary
StudySoup is a platform that lets college academics sells their study notes to their peers. You will need to join the program as a note-taker and from then on you can supposedly start profiting with StudySoup. Unfortunately, this system falls short of its promises and I’ll tell you why…
A major problem with StudySoup is that their customer service is shockingly bad and makes the process of dealing with them extremely arduous.
Product Rating: 10/100
Would I Recommend This Product? Never!
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StudySoup Explained
If you take notes and are looking to earn some money from them, then you probably know about StudySoup.
The platform gives students the ability to buy and sell study notes, guides and different resources to help them with their course.
The system was created by a couple of college students to address the hardships that they experienced with taking notes. The platform itself is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Inside it, you will find course materials for several standard examinations, for example, MCAT.
One important point to highlight is that this platform is not meant for people that want to pay for their coursework to be done for them. It’s purely a platform to obtain or provide study notes and other study materials.
Exploring StudySoup
It’s free to join StudySoup as a note-taker, however, there is a fee if you’re signing up as a student. You need to provide your email address or your Facebook details to join.
Becoming a Note-taker
This can be done in 2 ways. To be a note-taker you can take notes and transfer them to the website. You will make a commission every time a member pays for your notes.
To make more money, there’s an option to be an Elite Note-Taker, however, you need to meet the criteria listed below-
- You will need to be enrolled on a class containing over 50 attendees.
- This course needs to have at least 3 exams per semester.
- There should be consistent lectures that you can take notes for.
- You’re preparing for grad school exams such as LSAT, MCAT and so on.
You will need to submit an application to become an Elite Note-Taker and if it’s approved, you’ll be required to attend a meeting with a mentor, who will train you on the responsibilities of an Elite Note-Taker.
If your note-taking skills are good and your grades are more than the average, then your notes will most likely sell very well on StudySoup.
Handwritten notes are welcome as long as your handwriting is neat and legible, however, it’s always a good idea to type them up.
How Much Cash Can You Earn with StudySoup?
StudySoup claims that Elite Note-Takers can make between three to five hundred dollars for each course or approximately two thousand dollars per semester. If the course is popular this normally correlates to a higher demand for notes, therefore, there’s more money to be made. At least that’s what we’re told.
Note-takers are paid an initial salary together with a commission for each sale of notes. So you will still make money even when your notes don’t sell. For Elite Note-takers the commission rate is 50% and less for standard note-takers
The maximum number of classes that you can upload notes for is three and if you desire to make more profit, you’ll have to think about applying for the Elite status.
There’s also the option of creating revision study guides for exams. The maximum number of guides that you can create is three, prior to the exam. The guides will need to be uploaded at least four days in advance of the exam.
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What You Should Know About Getting Payments From StudySoup
To monitor the amount of money you’re earning simply log into your profile and select the “My Money” option.
You can also explore other avenues to generate more money through StudySoup. You can profit from encouraging other students or your friends to sign up through the StudySoup referral system and make $5 for each referral.
To qualify for the $5, your friend will need to:
- Join StudySoup.
- Embark on the training to become an Elite Note-taker.
- Upload some notes for a relevant class.
When your notes start generating money, you can withdraw your profits through PayPal once you’ve earned at least $50.
Payments take up to 5 working days to reach your account. There’s also the option to be paid by direct deposit. The FAQ section addresses any payment queries that you might have.
Payment Requirements
There is a list of conditions that you must meet before you can receive your payments.
For starters, you have to upload study notes every week at a rate of 8 weeks of notes inside a 12-13 week semester. This works out to be roughly 70% of your whole class.
You will need to build a study guide for every exam and upload your guide at least four days prior to the exam.
You’ll also need to distribute your link among your classmates via the messaging feature.
Is StudySoup The Right Platform For You?
On the face of it, StudySoup looks like a good gig, however, there are several concerns about the platform that make it difficult for me to recommend it.
I’ll take you through each of my concerns in the section below.
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StudySoup Exposed!
(1) Customer Service Is Not Great
This platform is not short of negative feedback about the bad customer service provided to note-takers and students.
A major problem affecting note-takers is centered around non-payment. Either they are not paid properly or they experience long delays with payments. In some cases note-takers are not paid at all.
The feedback shown below seems to be a recurring theme with this platform. Sadly, you will find multiple reviews of negative feedback from disappointed members.
Apparently, if you search for StudySoup headquarters using the listed address it comes up with a salon, according to the comments below:
Unfortunately, StudySoup‘s GlassDoor profile is inundated with customer complaints such as the one shown above.
(2) The Quality of Notes Might NOT Be Up To Standard
A big concern raised by one of the members is that the uploaded notes don’t appear to be vetted for their quality before they’re made available.
The above screenshot shows more bad feedback from an unhappy customer.
The majority of students are not satisfied with the notes and have complained that they’re low-quality. The notes either provide incorrect information or don’t meet the member’s standards or a mixture of both.
The low-quality notes will inevitably lower the number of students signing up to StudySoup.
(3) Low Earnings
If you want to earn a decent amount through StudySoup you will need to upgrade to be an Elite Note-taker, however, even at that level you’ll have to be uploading notes at every opportunity.
It looks like standard note-takers are not paid a base pay. The commission is also lower than what you’d get as an Elite Note-taker, therefore, if your notes sell for 10 bucks you’ll make less than 5 bucks.
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Benefits of Using StudySoup?
StudySoup is tainted by the problems mentioned earlier and if it wasn’t for those problems, this platform would be awesome. The concept behind this program is intuitive, however, the issues with it are numerous.
Sadly, the issues with this program outweigh the benefits, therefore, I cannot recommend this system.
Is StudySoup a Scam?
Despite the negative feedback surrounding this platform, StudySoup is NOT a scam. It’s an authentic program that gives students the opportunity to sell their study notes and earn an income in the process.
However, StudySoup suffers from a few inherent problems and as a result of this, I wouldn’t recommend it to students or note-takers.
Their customer service is poor and there are plenty of complaints regarding payment issues. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to do all of that work and then discover that you might not get paid at all. This program has huge potential but only if StudySoup are willing to fix the existing issues.
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How Do I Use The Internet to Make a Full-Time Salary?
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