10/24/12

School supplies

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  1. Papermate Felt Tip pens—I use these for my planner, and going back through notes. I color code things in my planner, and it’s way easier for me to write in color than go back and highlight, plus it looks neater. I also like to add footnotes to my lecture notes in different colors. Plus it’s just more fun to doodle with these.
  2. Laptop—I have a Dell, but it’s all about preference. I bring mine to school almost everyday, but don’t use it during class. I don’t like having a screen blocking me from the professor, and I get too distracted on my laptop if the lecture gets boring. I do use it in the library to study and read through power points, though.
  3. iPad and wireless keyboard—Originally, I got an iPad so I could use e-texts for my books but now I use it for everything. There are some classes that I use it to take notes on, since the screen is a little smaller and I don’t feel as blocked off from my professors. Evernote is the best app I’ve found for taking notes, it synchs them to your computer and let's your organize them however you want. My case has a built in keyboard, which is amazing. I also like it because if I need to check a syllabus or something, I can find it instantly, as opposed to load times on my computer.
  4. Planner—Even though I carry my iPad and iPhone with me, there’s something super rewarding about old school paper calendars for me. Target has them cheap (under $20) and they all work essentially the same. It’s just how you like to organize. I’m a structural thinker, so I need lines, with a date above, and space to write down everything. Journal style planners don’t work for me, but if you can think in the abstract, go for it. Just something to organize all your thoughts and appointments.
  5. Spiral notebooks—I hate composition books. I’m not even going to sugar coat it. They drive me insane, I hate that you can’t fold them back, and that it’s so hard to write in the margins. I have a spiral for each class, and use it for notes/reviews.
  6. Post-It notes—the greatest thing ever. I use them for writing myself notes, adding last minute reminders, whatever. I also use them to hang up vocab words that I really need to know by my bed so I see them every day. I don’t know if it actually helps you learn them better, but I like to pretend it does.
  7. Pencils—I only use them for exams, so I honestly don’t think too much about them. I just try to leave one or two in my bag so I don’t have to be that person in class who has to bum one.
  8. Index cards—flash cards, review cards and to-do lists. When I’m sitting down for a major study session, I’ll write out everything I need to get done on one, and leave it in my planner until everything is done. Flash cards and review cards info can be found here.

 

What’s in your bag?

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