<p>Do you recommend looseleaf or notebooks?
paper clips, stapler, hole puncher??
Printer? with ink and paper??
usb drive?
calculator</p>
<p>what are the little things that we would need?</p>
<p>In my personal opinion most small office supplies are good to have, especially post-it notes. I think that having paper clips and a stapler is good. You should come prepared with the poster tack for the walls so you can hang pictures and posters. A flash drive is always something you should carry with you because you never know when you are working on something in the PODS or with a friend and you need to save it to put it on your computer. I have an 8GB but I am a graphics major so I have art projects on mine. You really shouldn’t need a calculator unless you are planning on taking a math class or some type of class of that sort. </p>
<p>In terms of binder vs. notebooks that is up to you. Some people prefer to have one binder with all their classes in it and some prefer notebooks since they sometimes are easier to deal with. Some also do not even use these as they bring their laptops to class. </p>
<p>I do recommend you getting a printer. Although you are allowed 75 pages for free in the PODS each week, sometimes you just want to print something quickly and don’t want to run to a printer to get it.</p>
<p>Really, the notebooks vs. binders thing will ultimately depend on your personal style. I find that I tend to be clumsy and rip the loose leaf out of binders, so my personal strategy is to have one binder for all of the handouts and such from various classes, but a different notebook for each class. It’s easy enough to sift through handouts when studying for a test, but much harder to find notes for specific classes when they’re all in one notebook. As for subject size, for some classes, one subject will be fine, others need up to three subjects. I can’t imagine a class that would use five subjects in one semester, but if you’re taking a class that kind of extends over two semesters, like maybe Bio 1 and Bio 2, then you might want to have one five subject to carry over to the next semester. </p>
<p>I would highly recommend a stapler and a small pack of paperclips as well. Sometimes you will have projects with multiple components and it’s easiest to just clip the components together. You don’t need all that many though because you will probably get most of your papers back at some point and you can re-use the paperclips. </p>
<p>A hole punch would be necessary if you plan to store papers on the rings of a binder. I however prefer to use the very stretchy plastic pockets, and so I’ve personally had no use for a hole punch. That’s ultimately up to you. </p>
<p>You definitely don’t NEED a printer per se, but I will say that it is incredibly convenient to have one. As a student at another school, we have printing facilities 24/7, but when it’s 4 in the morning and you’re JUST finishing a paper, and it’s really cold outside (as it will be in Binghamton during the winter), it’s so much nicer to be able to just hit the print button than to have to walk there. Even if you decide to go first thing it’s just a big time saver. However, if you are strapped for cash I would say that this is a convenience and not a necessity. </p>
<p>Whether or not you will need a calculator will depend entirely on the classes you are required to take. I wouldn’t go ahead and purchase one until I knew one way or the other, because you may as well wait until you know who your professor will be and you can ask him/her what KIND of calculator you should get for the class. </p>
<p>A USB drive can be really useful, though as long as the computer you’re on has internet, you can always email files to yourself instead of storing them on the USB. I tend to prefer this method myself because I’m bad about leaving my USB in the computer, but if you like to use a USB and think that it will be more convenient, they’re not terribly expensive. Provided that you’re not storing anything bigger than office files and pictures on it, you shouldn’t need more than a gig. </p>
<p>As for little things, of course you have your writing implements. You might want to have a few traditional wooden number 2 pencils with a sharpener just in case you have a class in which you take scantron tests. I’ve only had one class like that in my year at college and I don’t go to Binghamton (though hopefully I eventually will), but I found myself having to bum these implements off of other people because hadn’t thought I would need them. </p>
<p>I’d also recommend having a sharpie, not necessarily for school supplies on its own but for no small number of purposes as: hiding a scuff mark on a black shoe, marking food in the fridge, labling notebooks and other school supplies, etc. Additionally, I’d recommend having a glue stick, a roll or more of tape, and scissors, because having to do some type of posterboard presentation or other creative project is not out of the question. These things will simply come in handy. They’re not things I would necessarily carry around with me all of the time, but they’re good to have.</p>
<p>Finally, just one more general purpose item that I never leave my room without is my Tide pen. It’s not a school supply, but I carry it with me always. It has saved not only my clothes but my friends’ as well on numerous occasions, and it’s great if you’ve got a presentation in the next class and you have the misfortune of slopping something on yourself.</p>
<p>Oh man, the tide to go pen = necessary.</p>