This post is all about the most useful college essentials for class every college student should have prepared to help guide them through college.
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College was such a stressful time in my life because as a first-generation college student in my family, there was no one to tell me what I needed for college. However, I wanted to do the opposite and talk about what helped me and will help you throughout your college career. I’m recommending the best products you need to help you fly through your college experience smoothly.
College was indeed stressful but it got better once I started figuring things out on my own. That’s why I’m here to tell you what worked for me so that it can help somebody who didn’t grow up with someone who went to college or knows about college.
If this is your first time going to college just know it’s all going to be ok. College will be some of the best school years of your life. It’s a place where you will learn more about yourself and what you want to achieve for your future. You will make amazing friends and you will create long-lasting memories. It will be difficult at times but you will have your peers to help you along the way. Just remember if it’s difficult for you it’s also difficult for someone else. You aren’t alone in this journey.
With that being said, here are the best college essentials for class to help you be successful throughout your college career.
College Essentials For Class
Backpack or Bag
Backpacks are an insanely important essential that every college student needs. We place everything in our backpacks from our pencils to our laptops. It keeps us organized and it helps carry all of our things from place to place. If you have ever been to a University you understand that the walks from class to class can be long distance. I can’t imagine carrying everything in your hands.
I have experimented with backpacks and I have found the perfect type of backpack that fits most students. If you’re an art student or a science student this might not apply to you. However, I have noticed that the best backpacks are those that have built-in cushions on the back and the straps of the backpack. If your backpack doesn’t have these features it’s going to be difficult for your back to carry it all. You can look out for backpacks that have cushions like hiking or athletic backpacks. On the other hand, I excluded art and medical students because art students tend to carry huge portfolios to class, and science students have way too much to carry that they need an extra bag to carry their things or far larger backpacks.
You will most likely be carrying a laptop, binders, and journals. Sometimes professors want you to take workbooks to class so it just adds to the weight. If you will be carrying a laptop most of the time then it’s important to look into having one with a laptop sleeve on the inside of the main zipper area. It’s also important to look into the amount of extra pockets. Some of us carry beyond the basics. I would even carry scissors and a stapler because professors were unpredictable sometimes.
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Writing Supplies
If you’re old school like me and just love taking notes on paper then this one is for you! I can talk about writing materials all day but I’ll make it short and sweet. Starting with mechanical pencils, in my humble opinion they will forever be superior to regular wood pencils. If you have any classes that dealt with math these were my go-to pencil. If I had exams to take and I had to fill out a scantron I would use a mechanical pencil. I would just make sure that the box says #2 so that the lead is dark enough for the scantron machine to pick up your answers.
Secondly, if you love writing in color and don’t like runny ink pens, felt-tip pens are magical! I disliked seeing how the gel pens would sometimes bleed through the paper and it just kept ruining my notes. I decided to try these felt-tip pens. Just imagine markers in pen form those are felt-tip pens. They have since changed my life forever. I now use them all the time. Lastly, I always carried highlighters with me to highlight any important phrases to remember in my notes or readings. On a side note, if I were shopping for highlighters today I would aim for pastel highlighters. The standard bright highlighters are just too bright sometimes.
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Notebooks
Notebooks are another standard essential for those who love writing notes the old-fashioned way. I loved taking the cutest and the most artsy journals to college. I have always loved art so much that I had to get my school supplies inspired by something I was currently loving. I would purchase my favorite artsy school supplies online or at Target. I would also recommend taking college rule notebooks because they’re more comfortable to write in and you will most likely be taking more notes in college compared to high school so you’re going to need the extra lines.
If you have any math courses consider taking a graph paper journal or notebook. I love these for any geometry-level class or algebra class. Graph paper can be used for any subject but I would highly recommend it to people taking math classes or physics courses.
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Laptop
The notable laptop is a huge college essential for class time especially nowadays where technology is the ultimate tool to have for education. As far as technology goes I’ve always been an advocate for Apple products. I’ve owned Apple products for a long time and by far some of my favorite products have to be their laptops. They helped me thrive throughout college and I would assume that they would help many of you too. You don’t have to get the most expensive Apple laptop out there and I wouldn’t recommend it. However, investing in something that will help you for years to come will pay off in the long run.
The laptop I used throughout college was the Apple Macbook Air. It’s an old model and I still use it today. In addition, I would recommend looking into any of the entry-level laptops from any of the Apple designs like the Macbook Air and the Macbook Pro. I think these will be enough to help you throughout college. However, if you need more space try using an external drive or a flash drive to give you the added space for your extra work and files. It’s the more affordable route and convenient if you really think about it.
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Tablet
The tablet is something that I used to use a lot in college. Some of you will need it for college depending on the individual. The iPad was the very first thing that I purchased for college. It was great for quick answers and research. I also used to stream my favorite shows while I waited for my next class to commence. It was a great sidekick to have when I didn’t want to use my laptop.
I would also recommend a tablet for any person who is studying digital art or has a business that sells something like digital goods. This is a great way to enhance your passions outside of school. I would also recommend the Apple pencil for those who love to draw or have a need to use it.
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Binders or Folders
Binders and folders are not needed the same way you needed them in grade school. They are only for you to use and are now there for your organization. As for me, I kept mostly everything in my journal and my folders. I didn’t bother with carrying the extra weight of a binder in my backpack instead I used folders. However, I do remember that in one of my accounting courses I had to purchase a 2-inch binder to hold my new book. It turned out to be one of those books that was designed to be inside a binder. If you don’t know those books come with punched holes and are ready to be placed in a binder. This book only stayed at home. I never carried any of my books to school because it wasn’t necessary only workbooks.
On the other hand, the accordion-style file folder had to be my favorite type of folder. I was able to keep everything organized and labeled. It was lightweight and convenient. I had one ready for each semester in school and it was just so nice and light to carry my syllabus, assignments, and study material.
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Calculator
I’ve had several calculators throughout college and I wanted to share my favorite ones. If you have courses like statistics or courses that don’t need graphic calculators then going with a basic scientific calculator is perfect. You don’t want to spend too much money since school is already expensive. However, if you are going to be taking a lot of courses that need a graphic calculator then I would suggest looking into getting one. The TI-84 Plus CE was my favorite calculator and after using it for so many years it never once failed me.
If you’re a business student and you will be taking accounting and finance courses make sure to look into a financial calculator like the BA II Plus. It was relatively easy to use and made the class much easier to understand. Each calculator is different so it’s quite useful to know what calculators will you be using throughout college. If you don’t have the resources to purchase an expensive calculator ask your college library to see if you can borrow one. Universities have so many resources for students I highly recommend looking into this if you need it.
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Planners
I couldn’t live without planners in college and even nowadays. I’m a literal mess without my planners. The best planners I’ve encountered are those that are about 9 x 7 or 8.5 x11 inches. I love the large notebook style of planners. It’s comfortable to write in them and it gives me plenty of space to brainstorm as well. I would usually write details about projects, assignments, or study plans.
Another great planner is a weekly desk planner. The weekly planner lets me see how my week looks and lets me know how much I have going on. For this planner, I write the more basic checklists of what I’m doing and it helps me see the bigger picture. Since they’re tear-off paper planners, I don’t get too detailed with them because essentially it’s not for storage but more for quick organization.
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Headphones
Headphones have been essential for me throughout college and beyond. I love music so I always had to have them with me at all times. I would use them to go to and from class especially when I was walking alone. I would also use them to watch my favorite shows in the school’s library or listen to podcasts as I got to walk around campus.
I had owned Beats headphones for some time but I wasn’t such a big fan. Then I switched over to using Skull Candy earphones, and Ludos earphones for a while and finally got to using AirPods. I’ve used different types of audio for years now and so far I loved many of them but these became my top favorites.
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Whiteboards and Markers
You don’t take whiteboards to class but whiteboards are such great studying tools. They might not be directly some college essentials for class time but they help you prepare for class tests or pop quizzes. These are great to help you map out the course material and understand it better. Whenever I was confused about something I would write it out on the board and it would help me understand the bigger picture about certain topics in school. I can’t emphasize it enough but every college student needs these.
I also used whiteboards to memorize material like languages and mathematics. I would recommend getting a really good eraser and good dry-erase markers. This way you prevent the eraser from smearing the marker on the board or the markers drying out too fast. I generally go with Expo markers because they last me quite a while so they became my favorite markers.
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Flash Drives
Flash drives are needed to organize your digital files and projects. They range from 32GB to 128GB and I would generally recommend the smaller ones for those who don’t need that much space. If you need a lot more space because you mainly work on your computer then getting a 128GB would be the best for you.
You will most often use these small college essentials for class time the most to prepare for presentations. I also see these when people have to transfer materials from one computer to another. There are so many ways to use flash drives but these are generally the main reasons we use flash drives in college.
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Desk Supplies
Desk supplies include taking paper clips, staplers, and scissors to school. Yes, these are more unconventional items to be a part of the most useful college essentials for class time but sometimes are needed when random projects come up. I’ve had professors give us projects that required scissors. I have also needed to keep my papers organized with paper clips because I don’t always need my papers stapled. On the other hand, taking a stapler is also important because there are professors who prefer for your work to be organized and stapled neatly. It all depends on your professor, their grading system, and how spontaneous they are.
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{Related Post: The Ultimate Guide To College Fashion: How To Dress For College?}
Going to college can be such a hassle sometimes especially in the beginning when you don’t know what to expect. After going for many years I can tell you that every class you take will be different. You have to adjust to your professor. Each professor will like things done a certain way and some will really not care so look out for those cues and you can also look them up on ratemyprofessor.com. I hope this guide was helpful enough to prepare your college essentials for class time this coming year. I wish you the best of luck on your journey through college!
