Good College Organizers for your College Bound Freshman

Parents Forum
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<p>I've got a son who would sleep until noon every day were it not for a gentle wake up call (or 15) in the morning on school days. So, in envisioning how he'd actually get himself up for that variable first class in the morning, I was looking around on the internet and found this:</p>

<p>Amazon.com:</a> American Innovative Neverlate 7-Day Alarm Clock: Kitchen & Dining</p>

<p>It's a programmable seven day alarm clock that looks like it would help him set his weekly schedule once he knows his class schedule. Sounded good to me, so I'm going to get one.</p>

<p>Once (if) he gets up, are there any other gadgets, aids, organizers that might help him organize his day.</p>

<p>Like maybe a cell phone that also can be used to record a lecture to aid in studying later...</p>

<p>Even something as simple as a bathroom pack where he can aggregate his toiletries.</p>

<p>Any suggestions would be appreciated.</p>

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<p>Balthezar: my soon to be freshman DD is also not a morning person, but I found this year that when I stopped being an auctioneer in the morning (get up, get up, get up!) she responded by getting herself out the door on time. She will have her iHome with her at school that she can set every night for the appropriate time. One tip that I caught here on CC is to make sure that the kids take their natural sleep cycles into account before they schedule classes. So, I’ve already told DD never to take an 8am class :)</p>

<p>As for other organizational supplies, does your son already know what school/dorm type he’ll be in next year? If he’ll have a community hall bathroom, there are bath caddies available (usually starting in June with the other dorm supplies in Target & Bed, Bath & Beyond) that he can use to carry shampoo, soap, etc. I know girls use them, but they have a lot more “stuff.” If he’s in an apt. style suite, he probably won’t need that. </p>

<p>Some type of planner is essential, but you have to let your son figure out what works best for him. Some people like a paper planner, some like electronic ones (like a palm pilot or using the calendar on an iTouch) while other like using web based planners.</p>

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<p>Oh, don’t get me wrong. He’s quite responsible, and I’m certain would be able to get up and out of the house, without the help of the human alarm clock. I’m just looking for some tips, techniques, gadgets etc that might be useful to him at college.</p>

<p>Oh, and someone has to take those 8am sessions, and it’s usually entering freshman that get stuck with them ;)</p>

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<p>Why not stop being your son’s “human alarm clock” starting today? That way he gets 4 - 8 months of real-world practice at it. He’d also get to experiment with what kinds of wake-up devices work best for him before going off the college.</p>

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<p>^^ Good point. In the last semester of my son’s senior year, the best CC advice I got was to start letting go and turning over those responsibilities to my soon-to-be-college guy. That worked (he’s now a well-adjusted sophomore).</p>

<p>Because you asked: He uses his iPhone as his alarm. Everyone has different waking-up needs, so why don’t you ask him to start experimenting with what wakes him up? My husband wakes up with clock radio music on really low volume; I need it blasting NPR news, because I’m a sounder sleeper.</p>

<p>And another gentle hint: Don’t start shopping now. You’ll need something to focus on in July and August to avoid thinking about the fact that he is leaving. ;)</p>

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<p>Well, I’ll get him the alarm clock now, and have him think about the daily planners both paper and electronic. Any opinions on recording the lectures as a study aid. I remember having to take copious notes in class which helped a lot, but when you’re writing, you’re not able to listen very well. That’s why I thought one of those mini-recorders might come in handy.</p>

<p>Thanks for the comments.</p>

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<p>My daughter would tell you that the ONLY “organizer” you need in college…is a hanging shoe holder that goes over a door:)</p>

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<p>My son would tell you the only organizer you need in college is a girlfriend, preferably one who can find her shoes quickly. ;)</p>

<p>My kids all got away from paper planners and onto electronic/mobile devices when they left h.s. for college.</p>

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<p>Some professors don’t allow you to record lectures. I wouldn’t bother with it, though that’s probably because I know I wouldn’t take the time to listen to the whole thing over again.</p>

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<p>My friend got me a Moleskine weekly planner last Christmas, and I’ve been using it this senior year–I love it. It’s pricey for a planner but beautifully laid out for efficiency and flexibility.</p>

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<p>For recording lectures, I’ve heard good things about the [Pulse</a> Smartpen](<a href=“http://www.livescribe.com/]Pulse”>http://www.livescribe.com/). In fact, I ordered it for my S, a college sophomore. He’s on Winter Break at the moment, though, so he has not tried it yet. I will report back once he does give it a go.</p>

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<p>My D puts everything on her Yahoo calendar and then sets it to send a text to her phone a set time before any events she feels she needs a reminder about. You can set the reminders various amounts of time before the event. You can also have a reminder sent to your Yahoo email if it isn’t as time sensitive as something that needs a phone reminder. And since you can have repeating events set to repeat for as long as you need, it makes it easy to programin those recurring events (like needing to get up every morning to get to class!)</p>

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<p>Taking notes in a college lecture is a skill most students can improve upon with just basic strategies. I also don’t recommend taping lectures for the basic reason that most students are not going to want to double their time in lecture (once in class, second time listening to tape).</p>

<p>I like a modified Cornell note taking system. When I taught a basic skills class for college students, Cornell notes (part of the curriculum) was universally hated. However, I would point out the many ways to modify the technique to fit other styles. I also like taking notes by eliminating many of the vowels in the words rather than writing down whole words. Abbrv as mch as pssbl. </p>

<p>My favorite study tool wrt to note taking was typing up my messy handwritten notes within 24 hours of the lecture. It cleaned up the notes, I naturally reorganized the main ideas as I typed them up, it acted as immediate review (which studies show is key for retention), and my typed up notes were <em>awesome</em> when test time came around.</p>

<p>My best suggestion with young kids going off to college is to encourage them to <em>experiment</em> with different study and note taking techniques. So many kids learn one style in high school and then don’t adapt or try new approaches in college. Mistake. The demands in college will be very different. Encourage your students to talk with other students to pick up new study techniques. Encourage your students to try something that no other students are doing… it is surprising how many college students are stuck in ineffective study strategies so it is important to buck that trend. </p>

<p>Just because no one else is singing their equations in the shower doesn’t mean that technique might not be perfect for your student. I change as many of my notes possible into pictograms – and can recall equations, formulas, foreign vocabulary, complex definitions with almost 100% accuracy. That is what works for me and it took me many years of college before I realized that traditional study techniques weren’t my main access… so encourage your kids to try new stuff… early and often!</p>

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<p>My son who will be off to college this fall is now pretty self-reliant. The one remaining area I really haven’t gotten around to turning over to him completely is taking care of his “nice” clothes.</p>

<p>After some thought, I have decided to recommend that he establish a close relationship with a good dry cleaner, rather than try to teach him to iron.</p>

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<p>"Why not stop being your son’s “human alarm clock” starting today? "</p>

<p>Actually, I think this needs to take place in middle school (better late than never, of course). At my house it’s part of the transition into 6th grade. You get your own alarm clock and are compelled to use it. It’s a process the kids really need to conquer early!</p>

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<p>Annika, thanks for the information. I never used a named note-taking system, but I became very proficient at understanding what the lecturers thought was important, and scribbling it down in a way that I would be able to interpret, but would be unintelligible to even the most seasoned cryptographer. You’re correct too in that the notes were one of the most important tools when studying for tests.</p>

<p>I’ve never really asked him what technique he employs in note-taking in high school. I’ll have to do that, but this thread is perfect in terms of letting him know how important refining his HS note-taking techniques are.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>I second annika’s points.</p>

<p>I didn’t type my notes (pre word processing), but I found it invaluable to rewrite the notes the evening after the class. Not only was the reorganization and rewriting a very effective study technique in itself, but I immediately identified areas that didn’t make sense to me and could rectify them before exam time and, perhaps as important, the resulting notes were concise, organized, and easy to study. I actually made myself outline my science reading for the same reasons. I’d have 40-50 pages of notes instead of a 400 page textbook.</p>

<p>(Annika, I sang my calculus formulas while walking around the room!)</p>

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<p>Check this out …it’s called the Pulse smart pen … if you click on the Does It Work Story - called “Best of DIW - High Tech” there is a story about it.</p>

<p>[Does</a> it Work? - KWCH - Kansas News and Weather -](<a href=“http://www.kwch.com/Global/category.asp?C=169081]Does”>http://www.kwch.com/Global/category.asp?C=169081)</p>

<p>It is really cool.</p>

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<p>I’m still a high school senior, but I am possibly the queen of organizers/planners - I have a big calendar on my wall, a small calendar on the wall next to my desk, a large whiteboard calendar in front of my desk, my school planner, and a calendar on my computer. Yes, I’m a little uptight about organization ;)</p>

<p>I love the whiteboard calendar. I will be flying it across the country for college somehow…it is seriously amazing. I have several different colored whiteboard pens - one color for major school assignments, one for school events that aren’t homework related, and one for important stuff outside of school. The great thing about this system is that it really allows me to look ahead and see where all the “big” things are. I don’t write down small, day-to-day assignments (that’s what my planner is for). It really, really helps me plan things out, and I think I do a lot better on tests and major assignments as a consequence. I believe I purchased the whiteboard calendar at The Container Store, but I’ve seen them elsewhere. It really works for me.</p>

<p>Regarding the computer calendar, I have a Mac, so I can hit f12 and have it pop up whenever I want. I have that calendar, but I also keep my to-do lists there on the “sticky notes” you can use. I also have a countdown widget, so for big events, I set one up. I also have the weather and a calculator there. Very convenient if you have a Mac, at least. </p>

<p>I keep the small calendar on my desk just so I can easily flip to the next month. The large calendar on my wall is really just for decoration; it’s very pretty :slight_smile: </p>

<p>My school planner is where I write down all my homework assignments. That’s where I write down all the everyday stuff. I do write down big assignments, but having the large whiteboard calendar allows me to manage them much better.
I really love my school planner; I never thought about the possibility of not having it in college! That makes me very sad… I’ll have to look into replacements :wink: </p>

<p>Using all the ^ together might sounds like overkill, so feel free to take zero/some/all of my suggestions. I find that this “system” works really well for me, and I am a very busy person…as may be evident, given all my calendars/planners!</p>

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<p>I remember being terribly impressed when I was in France that a young woman next to me wrote her notes in outline form, with different colored pens and rulers to underline stuff. Since it was all I could do to write down French dates, my notes were nothing like hers! I was a good note-taker though I rarely looked at them again. Just writing things down sticks them in my brain pretty much permanently.</p>

<p>OTOH, I’ve never found a calendar system that works for me. I just get lazy about writing things in them. And even if I do write things down, I forget to check what’s in them. I actually did best with a tiny one that was always with me because it would fit in any purse or even a pocket, but I use a PDA now with lots and lots of alarms.</p>