College Essentials: School Supplies

By Kaitlin Hurtado on August 22, 2016

Back to school season is here, which prompts either dread or excitement for another school year.

The season has always been paired with shopping for new ‘things’ like school supplies. Shopping was hyped when we were children, but now that we’re supposed to be adults with penny-pinching budgets, it’s an onslaught of  ”Will I really need this?” and “Has this always been that expensive?” when it comes to buying school supplies.

If you’re an incoming freshman — or you just haven’t figured out what fits the bill of “college essentials” yet — shopping for school supplies could appear as daunting when the list for school supplies is a little uncertain with such a varied schedule between each student.

Here’s a list of what the typical college student should have as part of their arsenal of school supplies.

Note-Taking Supplies

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This category of school supplies is loosely constructed as everyone has their own methods of note-taking, and can even have several methods when it comes to different professors and their lecture styles. The average amount of units for a quarter system student is 16, usually meaning four courses a quarter.

I found it easiest to have single notebooks (70-100 pages) dedicated to each course. Being able to write down notes during lecture forced me to actually pay attention in each lecture and process my professor’s words into those I could understand myself. Jazz up lecture notes with colored pens and highlighters to emphasize key concepts to make it easier for future you to study for later exams and papers.

Pen and paper isn’t for everyone, especially if a professor is a fast speaker. In a technology-ruled world, typing skills are key for efficient note-taking and it’s easy to go back and make adjustments without making a mess out of lecture notes.

Technology has its faults, however. Back-to-back lectures also means a quickly-draining battery and it may be hard to have access to power outlets in every hall or room. There are also professors that don’t allow their students to use any sort of electronics, leaving technology out of the picture. Best Buy is a great place to buy electronics — they offer a variety of both laptops and tablets with exclusive deals released regularly for college students.

Textbooks

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Each course and professor demand different resources, which makes shopping for textbooks confusing because there is no right or wrong when it comes to buying them. There’s endless possibilities — new, used, looseleaf, eBooks — and it’s easy to discover what your preference is after taking a few courses and actually using them.

The first option (and often the least recommended among upperclassmen) is your school’s official bookstore which is often notorious for high prices and being a complete rip-off when you try to sell your used books back at the end of the term.

Another option is browsing through websites dedicated to helping college students get their new or used course materials, like Chegg, Uloop, or Amazon. With these websites, there’s the option to buy, rent, and sell textbooks, making them essential market places for college students on a budget.

The last (and my go-to) option is joining groups on Facebook made for students at your specific university to post what they are selling and/or buying. By being able to directly deal with the seller, you’re able to make bundles (often paired with a discount), haggle prices, and even get some much-needed advice for the course you’re buying for.

Be warned, however, because there will always be sellers hoping to maximize their profit by overpricing their material.

Study Tools 

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Whether you’re one to study every night without fail or to push it off until next week, flashcards should be in your collection of school supplies. Regardless of the course type — foreign language, science, mathematics – flashcards have been proven to significantly impact knowledge of a subject.

You research what you need to put on your flashcards, manually write out what you need to study, and in turn have a concrete method of studying. Some professors even allow a notecard to be used on exams, so having them in stock allows you to avoid the trouble of snooping around to find an extra from a classmate.

Post-it notes will be your best friend when it comes to note-taking, studying, planning, etc. They are essential when it comes to marking up textbooks without lowering their value when it is time to sell them and the possibilities are endless when it comes to the variety of sticky notes places like Amazon and Daiso offer.

The “Extras” 

School supplies also means objects you don’t typically need with you in class, but are helpful to have in your possession as a student. Things like staplers (and staples), scissors, tape, hole punchers, paper/binder clips, and rubber bands are often forgotten on college checklists when you’re used to finding them around the house. They’ll come in handy when it comes to turning in term papers and organizing study materials.

It’s always a great idea to have a back-up for presentations and term papers with you, making USB flash drives a must in college. USBs also make it easier to use the library’s printer for last minute printing. To take another step toward being prepared as a college student is to have a stash of scantrons/blue books. Your goals should be to never put yourself in the situation where you can’t find one the night (2 in the morning after a cram session) before and you have an 8 a.m. final the next day (also when majority of campus stores open).

When balancing classes, part-time jobs, internships, club events, and quality time with friends, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Planners are the little beam of the light at the end of the very dark, confusing tunnel. Try the latest trend with a bullet journal, which allows you to customize your calendars and task lists with its basic design of dotted pages. Moleskines offers a wide selection to cater to every student’s needs — whether you’re looking for a monthly, weekly, or daily planner.

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