With school season upon us, I have decided to compile a list of back to school essentials for the organized college student. This list may be especially useful to any freshmen just starting out their college journey. Most of the things on this list are things that I own and find incredibly useful. Hopefully you will too.
1. An agenda.
Behind every organized college student is an agenda. For real. These things are AMAZING! You can keep track of anything and everything with an agenda. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, as long as you can write down your daily class schedule, work schedule, study time and fun time. It helps you develop great time managing skills; this will help you stay on top of deadlines. My favorite agenda is by Lilly Pulitzer, and it has tons of fun features like a travel section, stickers for decorating purposes and a few pages for all your special dates to celebrate. One thing to remember is to be diligent about writing everything in. Don't allow yourself to slack off and not write things in. It's easier to remember everything when it's all written down.
2. A water bottle.
Although it may not be a direct way of keeping you organized, it keeps you hydrated. Which in turn helps your brain work to its full potential. My favorite way to stay hydrated is to bring my Camelbak water bottle with me wherever I go. It’s easy to refill around campus, and it fits nicely inside of my backpack. You can even decorate your water bottle with stickers, puffy paint or glitter.
3. Three-ring binders.
Three-ring binders are a must have for any student who wants to remain organized. What I personally like to do is have one binder for each class. This way you can put the syllabus in there, assignments, loose-leaf paper, a folder or even flashcards. It keeps everything for the class together; this way you won't lose anything important, and you'll be able to stay on top assignments.
4. Large notebooks.
I love the concept of having one large notebook for each class, similar to the idea of the three-ring binders. You can even conveniently store the notebooks inside the binders. The reason I like having a notebook for each class is because your lecture notes, textbook notes, assignment reminders, brainstorming ideas and to-do lists can all be in one spot. You don't have to worry about mixing up your class assignments or forgetting anything.
5. Colored pens.
A set of colored gel pens are perfect for school. You can use them to organize your agenda, take notes for class and even make flash cards. When I use colored pens for my agenda I have a different color for a different kind of event. For example, red writing is for work, pink writing is for classes, blue writing is for homework due dates and other deadlines and orange is for travel plans. The more you use the color coding, the more you'll get accustomed to what color is for what.
Well, there you have it: a few essential items that will help you stay on top of things this upcoming semester. I know these things have helped me stay organized in the past, and hopefully they can do the same for you.
