All the things you should stock up on for your first few semesters of college courses.
1. College ruled notebooks.
You're gonna need all those extra lines because you will be taking notes nearly every second of the class period. Trust me, you will fill those books up.
2. Note cards or index cards.
Whether you use them for term and definition practice before a test or your professors tell you that they'll let you bring in notes on one of these, you will want a ton of them.
3. Folders.
These are helpful for organizing all those pesky handouts and syllabi that your profs will give you throughout the semester since unfortunately, the trash can is not an option.
4. Lots of pens and mechanical pencils.
I specifically say mechanical because, in truth, very few classrooms actually have pencil sharpeners. Unless you're in the art department, that is.
5. Highlighter pens
You gotta mark up all those important key details like the names of people who lived hundreds of years ago or that one equation that you will likely use on every test.
6. Sticky notes, both large and small.
The larger ones are great to put right into your textbooks to leave notes if you don't have space on the page itself. They're also good for putting little reminders for yourself everywhere. The smaller skinny ones work great as bookmarks and tabs.
7. Flash-drive.
Always keep this on you. Put one on your keychain if you have to. These are great when you need to transfer documents from your own computer to a printer, or even to bring your electronically done project into class with you. Being a Digital Media Artist student I have three of these and a 2 terabyte hard drive that I carry around with me.
8. Weekly planner for your semester.
It is always good to have something constantly on you reminding you when your classes are and when certain projects or assignments are due.
9. Office supplies.
These might sound silly but you will come into situations where you need all of them so pay attention to this list of its own: Hole punch, stapler, clipboard, blue test booklets, paper clips, and white out.
10. Your wit.
Your professors might be willing to throw you a bone or help you out every now and then if you keep active and involved in the class. Answer some questions, ask some of your own.
11. Slippers and/or your comfiest sweatshirt.
In the end, you don't want to be sitting in a stuffy lecture hall for an hour or longer while wearing some tight jeans, heels, and your fancy tops. Then again, maybe you do. Just be comfortable. Most professors aren't looking at what you're wearing when you walk into their classroom. They just care if you're dressed at all.
