Written for Sooner yearbook online.

We are a diverse campus. People come from all walks of life to attend school at OU: rich families, poor ones, big cities, and small towns. However, there is one thing that that unites us all, one thing that brings us all together on the South Oval in harmony. This concept is practically synonymous with the words “college student.” It is the desire to get free stuff.

So, here are a few more ways you, the discount detective, can make this happen more often, even through the summer. Follow the tips below, and you will soon be swimming in samples, chowing down on food you did not pay for (nor steal) and anxiously awaiting your free packages to arrive.

Download these applications (available on Android and Apple devices):

I Love Free Things

Save and share the freebies that are posted here each day. Free magazine subscriptions, food offers, and music downloads are posted often. Just make sure you remember to go back and redeem your favorites after you are done searching their list.

Viggle

The brilliant developers at Viggle want to reward for watching TV. All you have to do is check in to your favorite shows, accumulate points, and cash them in for gift cards to places like Groupon, Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, Best Buy, Starbucks and many more. Also, the rewards catalog changes every so often to keep your options fresh.

Follow these on Twitter:

@FreeFoodatOU

If you don’t follow this yet, chances are you have already missed tons of free food on campus this semester.

@atFreeiPhone

This account lets you know when iPhone apps are free in the App Store. Tweets also provide a short description and review to let you know whether it is worth your time.

@free

Tweets great offers for free food, photo prints, and more.

@universifree

The “guides” of Students & Education, Haley and Josh, say they include “advice, scholarships & offers.” Also, free food.

Sign up to these newsletters to get free offers:

McAlister’s Deli

The home of sweet tea and spuds sends out a $5 printable gift card for you to spend on or around your birthday.

Tip: McAlister’s also hosts a Free Tea Day each summer. Keep an eye out for the date to be announced. Avoid claiming your tea during peak hours — 11 to 2 and 5 to 8 — to keep your wait time to a minimum.

Sephora

Join they Beauty Insider club (free) and each year they will give you a free gift.

Shutterfly

The company will give you free prints just for joining, and if you sign up for their emails you will get even more offers, including free customizable photo books. Their sister companies Treat and Tiny Prints also send out great offers for greeting cards and photo gifts.

Tip: Have a family member sign up too. If one of you doesn’t order much, they will keep sending free offers, which you can then share.

Redbox

Discount codes are sent out frequently to email subscribers. If you sign up for text deals, you will get even more. Free movie rentals, just like that.

Check out these websites:

Target

Free samples are posted at http://samples.target.com/. The beauty sample assortment that comes in a cute makeup bag each year is highly regarded.

Amazon

With your OU email, you can sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime, which includes free two day shipping and a catalog of free Amazon Instant movies and TV shows.

Tip: If you modified your OU email, you can sign up for the trial twice using the stock email and the address you changed it too.

Start Sampling

There is a gallery of free samples with links to the company websites to order them at http://www.startsampling.com.

Remember, this list is not at all exhaustive. Think of it as a compass meant to send you in the right direction on your quest to all things free. Check out what your favorite store or restaurant has to offer. Better yet, try out a new store: some online retailers offer a free item for first-time users.

Now, go enjoy your freebies!