I am that crazy planner girl that has to check her schedule before she can commit to anything. Therefore, I have become pretty accustomed to using an academic planner/agenda for everything. My planner doesn't just hold my class assignments. My work schedule, extracurricular responsibilities, exercise schedule, meal plan and practically my entire life is in that thing.
If you're like me, you know most people use the classic Lilly Pulitzer agenda for their class assignments. I'll be honest, I have never used it. But, that's only because I have looked at other people's many times and never been able to really like it. That doesn't mean it's not for everyone though.
No matter your preference, if you're like me, you have started to look for that perfect planner for the upcoming year. The following are my top five personally tested planners and what I thought about them. I would like to disclaim that I know these planners go from least expensive to most expensive. The only thing I can say about that is, you get what you pay for.
5. At-A-Glance Academic Planner
Details
This planner costs $10.64 at Walmart. You can purchase this online or in store. It is 8.5 inches by 11 inches with spiral bound pages. It has a 12-month format, July 2017 through June 2018, separated with durable coated tabs. Also, it contains a horizontal-hourly format for each week. You have a variety of color and design options online. Depending on your location, you can even pick this up in store. Click here to learn more.
Review
I had this planner my entire freshman year of college. It was exactly what I needed then. I wasn't as busy as I am now, so it's simplicity was a huge benefit. However, being that I wasn't extremely busy, I found myself using white out on the hours. I either had nothing to do on certain hours, making wasted space, or had too much to do in one hour that wouldn't fit on one line.
4. Blue Sky Academic Planner
Details
This planner costs $7.99 for 5 inches by 8 inches on Amazon. If you have amazon prime, available for free with a student account, you can get free two-day shipping. It has a 12-month format, July 2017 through June 2018, separated with durable coated tabs, and formatted horizontally for each week. This planner is made with paper that reduces ink bleed through. When ordering online, you have a variety of colors to choose from. Click here to learn more.
Review
I had this planner my first semester of my sophomore year. Still thinking simplicity was best, I purchased this because the size was perfect to fit in my purse. The free two-day shipping was a major benefit, because I waited until the last possible second to start preparing for school. Also, I began color coding my classes and responsibilities, making the reduction in ink bleeding a big deal. The color options are kind of bland to me though. I would have liked coo design options.
3. Divoga Academic Planner
Details
This planner costs $25.99 for 8 inches by 11 inches at Office Depot. You can purchase this in store or online. Currently, Office Depot is running a promotion where orders of $9.99 or more ship for free. Also, if you provide your email for weekly emails, you can get 20 percent off.
It has a 12-month format, July 2017 through June 2018, separated with durable coated tabs. This planner is formatted vertically each week, different from many other planners. It has spiral bound pages and a hard sturdy cover. It also contains a lengthy notes section and a plastic folder on the inside. In terms of variety, there are many different colors and styles to choose from. Click here to learn more.
Review
After realizing I was becoming quite a busy bee, I needed a bigger and broader planner. I ended up purchasing this in store during my second semester of my sophomore year (waste of paper, I know.) Still, I think the beautiful designs is what really caught my eye. The plastic folder helped tremendously with holding index cards, receipts, to do lists and more. The horizontal weekly layout was actually really nice and gave me much more room than other planners did.
2. Erin Condren Academic Planner
Details
This planner costs $30 for 7 inches by 9 inches on erincondren.com. However, you can use code WELCOME10 to get a $10 off. This planner has an open 6-month format, meaning you write in the months and days you want to use. Consequently, there are no monthly tabs. It contains an assignment tracker section, lengthy notes section and horizontal-weekly section as well. This planner can be customized in design, name and/or initials and previewed before ordering. Click here to watch a youtube video giving you all the details you need to know.
Review
I recently purchased this planner for my senior year of college. I had an Erin Condren planner my junior year, so I felt I should give it a shot. I am a fan of the ability to customize both the inside and outside; however, due to the pages being perforated, it is already falling a part. After reading reviews and contacting customer service, this seems to be an isolated incident. Still, I am starting to think I should go back to what I consider to be the number one planner out there.
1. Erin Condren Life Planner
Details
This planner costs $55 for 7 inches by 9 inches on erincondren.com. This planner is customizable both inside and out. Inside, you can customize your weekly pages to be vertical, horizontal or hourly and the color scheme. As a bonus, you can customize the length to be January 2018 through December 2018, August 2017 through August 2018 or August 2017 through December 2018. Also, it contains a folder in the back and a dry erase area in the front.
On the outside, you can customize your coil color to be either black, rose gold or gold and platinum. The cover can be customized to whatever name, design and/or initials you want and previewed before ordering. You can even change the covers incase you change your mind on a design in the coming semesters.
Customizable stickers, snap in sticky notes, wellness packs and productivity packs can be ordered. But, as a welcome gift, Erin Condren will send you a bag full of stickers, motivational and compliment cards, gift labels, mini contacts planner and so much more.
If you don't feel like customizing, you can purchase a pre-made life planner as well. Click here to watch a youtube video giving you all the details you need to know.
Review
I purchased this planner for my junior year and I love it so much. It is pretty pricey, but the amount of stress this planner relieves is priceless. There seems to be a place for everything. It is filled with inspirational quotes and fun little notes. I even heard this year there will be coloring pages in the back. I cannot recommend this planner enough!
