It's getting down to the wire – the end of the semester is almost here. That means it's time to force yourself out of bed and actually attend those 8 a.m. lectures. Here are a few unconventional ways to help ensure a passing grade:

1) No need to write out every single word your professor says. Instead, put your text messaging skills to use! 

2) Start a virtual study group. Use sites like Drop.io to start a private group and share whatever you need to with the people you need to. Need to collabo on a document? Use Google Docs to share files. And if you're a post-it junkie like me, you can try the online version at MetaNotes.com.

3) If you need some serious help (like you completely didn't read any of Othello — oops!), consider downloading Spark Notes or Cliff's Notes to your iPod so you can read them anywhere.

4) Got a camera phone? Transform your photos of any handwritten or typed document into a highly legible ink-on-white PDF file with Qitpit.com. Also, check out these other resources for book summaries, literary analyses and more: BookRags.com, PinkMonkey.com and Grade Saver.