<p>I generally need to be pretty organized with my class materials in order to be able to study/learn effectively. Throughout high school I've always used 3-ring binders to keep my stuff in order. Do people find these useful in college? Does anyone else have other ideas of organization that have been helpful for them?<br>
Thanks.</p>
<p>Uhh, I've always used those expanding file folders.</p>
<p>I have separate 1" binders for each course.</p>
<p>Depending on the class I'll either use a three ring binder or one of those glue-bound composition books (with the black and white cover that you used to have in, like, third grade). When the professor gives a lot of handouts, I'll go with the 3-ring; if all the notes have to be taken by hand and there are very few papers I need to store for the class I'll use the composition book instead because it keeps all of my papers neatly arranged, and I don't have to worry about losing anything.</p>
<p>Do you keep your binders after finishing the classes (Probably more specifically for courses in a major)? Or maybe it's easy to find the information elsewhere if you need it again...</p>
<p>So far I've been one of the few people in my classes that uses a three ring binder. I'm very organized, so it works for me. Others use a spiral notebook with pockets in the front or they use a cheap spiral notebook and a folder instead. It may work for some, but I don't like it because all the pages can be bent or torn and you have to dig through things.</p>
<p>I've only kept my binders for classes that are important (like taking more of the same class or if it will be on the PCAT). If you don't have to take a test to get into the program you've interested in, then I'd only keep the things for a series of classes you'll be taking. Some information can be easier to find somewhere else, but some things are hard to find a good explaination for. After you take a class you can usually tell if you will need the things.</p>
<p>I like to keep composition notebooks for all of my classes, and then I keep binders at home for loose papers we get in class or whatever.</p>
<p>Keep using whatever works best, but keep in mind that in college you get way less handouts and have way more notes than in your typical HS class.</p>
<p>I just keep a 100-page notebook and cheap folder for each class.</p>
<p>In some classes, I've had a significant amount of printouts (powerpoint slides, lecture notes,etc.). In one class, I filled up an entire 2" binder; in some others, I received very few, if any handouts/printouts. </p>
<p>After each semester, I took out the stuff from classes I wouldn't refer to as much and put them in big manila envelopes and reused the binder. For notes that I might need for future courses, I leave them in a binder and put it on my shelf.</p>
<p>I keep all my old notes, but it's kind of a waste. I tend not to even use my notes (which I take fairly meticulously) even while I'm in a class, so the odds of me going back after I'm done with it are pretty slim. If the class has a decent textbook, I'll tend to use that as a much more reliable reference. You'll learn to love books that have extremely thorough indexes and hate ones which have a 5 page index for a 800 page text.</p>