<p>(I'm an incoming freshman)</p>
<p>In high school I was given a school supply list every eyar of exactly what to buy - what kind of paper, what size binder, etc...in college i'm assuming you don't get one of those, so what would current college students recommend getting? Do you still use binders, or do you use notebooks more?</p>
<p>I have a laptop, so should I count on using it to take notes in class? I'm prety clueless, any help is well appreciated!</p>
<p>I wouldn't just rely on a computer to take notes. Always bring a notebook. For math and science classes, it's much better to have a notebook to draw derivations, proofs, and diagrams. You'll have a pretty hard time keeping up with the professor if you're trying to find a symbol or draw a diagram on your computer.</p>
<p>pencils</p>
<p>Scantrons</p>
<p>I never take notes, I always erase letters and redo my writing and get nervous. Most teachers have powerpoints on their site anyways. The kids that take notes on their laptops end up goofing off on myspace and Facebook.</p>
<p>I didn't think about that! That makes sense. I wouldn't want to be trying to draw lewis structures or do sigma notation or something like that on a computer...anything else?</p>
<p>uh...what is a scantron?</p>
<p>Pencils
Notebook paper.
Possibly some folders or binders</p>
<p>Wouldnt really use the laptop for notes in class. Depending on your teacher he may have the slides online but regardless, make sure to read the book lol.</p>
<p>A scantron sheet is what you put your answers on for multiple choice tests.</p>
<p>small stapler
staple remover
scotch tape
paper clips
color pencils
highlighters
a few pencils, even if you aren't in a math class
regular notebooks, because taking your laptop to class is a pain IMO</p>
<p>why did you rely so heavily on a school provided supply list, it's the same stuff every year?</p>
<p>/sum_{i=0}^\infty i^2=\frac{\pi^2}{6} doesn't take that long to type, but it definitely takes some skill to be able to Tex notes on the fly.</p>
<p>scantrons are those bubble-in sheets that you use to take multiple choice tests... did you not have those in high school? We used them all the time at mine, it's so teachers don't have to sit and grade the multiple choices, they can just run them in a machine.</p>
<p>I would say get:
college rule paper
1-inch or 1.5-inch hardback notebooks
PLANNER!!!
pencils and pens (although you don't need a lot of pens because there are free pens EVERYWHERE)
stapler/staples
highlighters
a couple sharpies</p>
<p>Scantrons are common not only for regular HS/college exams, but also for standardized tests. The form you use for your SAT or ACT was similar to a Scantron. You'll use one if you take a paper and pencil Praxis (ed majors). Chances are you had a final or two on them in HS so they could turn around and give you a grade really quickly.</p>
<p>Anyway, here is what I always get for school (some of which I already have in my inventory when a semester begins)</p>
<p>Pencils--I use these most all of the time for taking notes in case I want to erase something.</p>
<p>Pens--I usually only use them if there's an essay exam and the prof likes pen instead of pencil.</p>
<p>White Out--I make a ton of mistakes on essays so I use this all the time on essay tests where they want pen.</p>
<p>Legal Pads--I'm not into the notebook thing for classes. I use legal pads or sometimes just an unlined sheet of 8.5 x 11 from the printer to take notes. Staying inside the lines is a challenge for me.</p>
<p>Stapler with Staples--In high school, you could mooch off the teacher. Not all profs are like this because they often move around to different rooms or are in huge lecture halls. If I'm in a class where I know stapler ownership is low I sometimes will bring mine in. Buy a lot of staples (they're pretty cheap) and share!</p>
<p>AAA Batteries--If you are taking a math or science class and are using a TI calculator (TI-83, etc) chances are your batteries will die at some point. I actually have replaced mine during tests sometimes (they always pick the worst time to go). Stick them in your pocket whenever you go to math/science if you know you've been using the calculator a lot.</p>
<p>Shopping Bags (A&F or similar size)--Nothing is worse than paper buildup after a test. Since I don't have many places to store things in my desk and my car's trunk needs to be relatively open for stuff like my duffel bag, laptop case, camcorder, etc at any given time I save all the shopping bags I get at A&F and fill them up. They line my garage and one of my closets. This way you can quickly throw the whole stack of papers you have into one and then come back at finals time if you need it. I have about a half-dozen completely filled A&F bags right now.</p>
<p>Paper in whatever form works best for you (notebook, binder, etc.), planner, pens and pencils. The 4 Ps are the basics.</p>
<p>Ah, I neglected to mention my wonderful planner device in my post.</p>
<p>I use something that I've had since birth. My brain. I remember dates/deadlines/appointments 99.5% of the time probably because I've always been one to use the brain and not a "crutch". If a test comes up that I forget about, I wing it!!!</p>
<p>The best part about using your brain, which is why I highly encourage it for any college student on a budget.....IT'S FREE!!!! You can use the $200 you were going to spend on a Palm Pilot elsewhere!!!</p>
<p>Not everyone can remember everything, but I didn't use a planner either. I too could remember most things, and the dates that you can't remember will probably be in your class syllabus. Only get a planner if you feel you need it.</p>
<p>nice packing list.</p>
<p>Most people are never going to remember every single test date, paper due date, and friend's birthday. I'm good about remembering things most of the time but I still have a planner just in case. You don't have to get a $200 palm pilot, you can get a $5 planner book from wal-mart, target, etc. that works just fine.</p>
<p>All I brought when I went in last year was a backpack, a small spiral notebook for each class (notes), two binders (one with notebook paper, the other with graph paper), printer paper for my printer (duh), pens, pencils, and highlighters...and a few other things that I was required to have just because I started off in engineering, but those things won't apply to you. Also, I guess it may depend on the types of math you'll need to take, but a graphing calculator was definitely a necessity for me.</p>
<p>Then I bought my books and scantrons from the university bookstore. Don't worry about the scantrons yet, though. My school has at least three or four different types so yeah...just wait to find out which ones you'll need.</p>
<p>Oh, and eventually I ended up buying a small stapler, hole puncher, report covers and some of those file folder things.</p>
<p>Don't forget a good 3-hole punch--if there are handouts in class, you don't want to lose them or mess them up. Also, don't forget extra batteries for electronic things and lightbulbs for your lamps. Also make sure you bring the back up discs for your computer and a flash drive.</p>
<p>I think having a planner definitely comes in handy - you can spend a bit of time filling them in at the begining of the semester from your syllabus, and that way you always know in advance when you're going to have a ton of tests/papers/etc due at the same time. Seriously, who wants to flip between 5 syllabi? Or rely on remembering everything?</p>
<p>Also, something you can use as a filing cabinet - your school desk might have a drawer for filing purposes, or you could always just get cheap crate from target and use that. But it helps to have someplace to file all the paperwork in case you need it (medical forms, billing statements, plane tickets, take-out menus, housing forms). It's always easier to start off organized than it is to try to organize your life mid-semester, or to not bother organizing and not know where anything is.</p>
<p>Comparing a planner to a crutch is wrong.</p>