Back to College Prep
- Jenni Wrenn
- Sep 8, 2016
- 5 min read
I just got my timetable today for my final year studying Commercial Modern Music at BIMM, I'm sad to say its my final year but excited to gather my favourite thing... STATIONERY! In this post I will talk you through all that I do in preparation for back to college. I will also include a list of useful sites and apps for you to use. General organisation and study and sneak peak at what is in my bag on those dreary days stuck in the library. Back to College Shopping:
A few weeks back I decided to get my shit together and organise all that I needed for studying. Here is a list of my haul plus some things I already had and where I got them:
Pencil Case.
A4 Hardback Ring-binder Folder x3 (Euro Giant)
A4 Softback Ring-Binder Folder x3 (Euro Giant)
A4 Envelope Folder x5 (Tesco)
A4 Subject Dividers (Tesco)
A4 Loose Leaf Refill Pad (Flying Tiger)
Clip Set containing: (Penneys)
- thumb tacks - small paper clips - large paper clips - paper clamps
Guitar Picks x2 (K'n'B Music, Maynooth)
Post-it Notes (Tesco)
Post-it Flags (Tesco)
8GB USB (Tesco)
Sharpie Highlighters x4 (Tesco)
Mouse Tip-ex x2 (Tesco)
Washi Tape Roll (a gift)
Scissors (Arts and Hobby)
Ruler Large (Tesco)
Ruler Small (Tesco)
Rubber (Tesco)
Pritt Stick (Tesco)
Gel Pens - set of three (Tesco)
Multi-click pen (Euro Giant)
Mechanical Pencils (Flying Tiger)
HB Wooden Pencils (Easons)
Black, Blue, Red and Green Pens (Various)
Multi colour Pen Pack (Tesco)
Polly Pockets (Dunnes Stores)
Subject Notebooks x5 (Euro Giant)
Extra Notebooks x2 (Flying Tiger)
Week-to-View Journal (a gift)
Re-usable Water Bottle (Euro Giant)
Calculator (Easons)
Desk Calendar (a gift)
Index Cards (made by my lovely aunt)
Pencil Parer (Tesco) As well as that I use a number of print off's to organise my study and timetable:
Week to View - Generic Timetable Print-off
To-Do List - Generic Print-off
Cornell Style notes - Sheet Print-off (from Study Well http://study-well.tumblr.com/tagged/my-printables)
Reading Log (from Just a Girl and her Blog http://justagirlandherblog.com/printable-student-binder/)
Semester Planner
Grade Tracker
Assignment Planner
Essay Plan
Study Planner (All from The Organised Student http://theorganisedstudent.tumblr.com/printables) I am also involved with college societies, holding a committee position on two, so I like to keep that side of things organised too! I keep:
1 envelope folder and notebook for Live Music Society
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]1 notebook for Drama Soc
1 envelope folder for training notes.
What Goes Where
So that was a pretty long list... Let me talk you through how I organise all that! In my pencil case I keep: - a rubber - black pen x2 - blue pen - red pen - green pen - small ruler - tip-ex mouse - mechanical pencil - ordinary pencil - parer - gel pens x3 - highlighters x2 - guitar pick I then have an A4 softback ring-binder entitled; academic folder. I use subject dividers to create module sections and keep all my notes for each module in their respective sections, kept safe with polly pockets. I then have an envelope folder that attaches into the ring-binder and I use this for any misc. notes I may have. The same concept goes for the second softback ring-binder "Performance Notes" Part of my course is based on music performance so any track notes, scores or feedback go here. Again with an envelope folder for misc. The third softback folder is what I like to call my "Academic Planner" In this I keep an attached envelope folder with my class timetable and using subject dividers I organise all of my print off's from The Organised Student and Just A Girl And Her Blog. The reason these are in the softback folders is because they are the ones I am most likely to bring to college so they are a lot lighter to carry around. (I travel 45 minutes from Kildare to Dublin every day for college so its important to keep what I'm carrying to a minimum weight!) Two of the Three A4 Hardback Folders usually stay at home at my study desk; Music Theory Notes and my combined notes from the last three years of college. In the third folder however I again have an attached envelope folder for misc. (I also keep some index cards, USB and post-it flags in here) Here I also attached a refill pad and my to-do list and cornell notes print-offs. The fifth envelope folder I will keep for a production assignment I have to physically hand in at the end of the year.
Items like the clip set, post-its, desk calendar and extra stationery like pens, washi tape etc. stay at home on my desk.
I have five notebooks, one for each of my subjects. I am also taking an extra credit module and an online course so have two extra notebooks for that.
Hitting up The Library
When study mode kicks in I tend to knuckle down in the college library for as long as my little brain can handle. Here's what I like to pack in my bag for those dreary days:
Week-to-View Journal
Pencil Case
Notes Folder(s)
Notebooks for subject I want to study
Laptop and Charger
Water Bottle
Snack/Packed Lunch
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Travel Mug and Coffee Granules (If you're poor like me and don't always have change to buy a coffee-to-go, bring in a small container of coffee granules (milk and sugar optional) and a spoon, fill your travel mug from a water fountain (most colleges have them) and then you can heat the water in the microwave (most colleges have these too) add your coffee granules and off ya pop! I also like to keep a little wash bag with me to freshen up because my college library is always a sweat box! It's just a little cosmetic bag containing mostly mini versions of:
Perfume
Hair Comb
Roll-on Deodorant
Tampons
Toothbrush
Hair Bobbins and Slides
Lip Balm
Hand Cream
Hand Sanitiser
Pack of Tissues
Online Aids
Lets face it, most of us students would be lost without the internet, having said that, most of us students rarely use the internet for actual study tools ("Yeah MOM I'm in a Facebook group chat about the test!" *swipes right on Tinder profile*) Here is a list of various Apps and Websites I tend (try) to use for my studying, some of them are pretty useful!
Academic
Ureddit.com - University of Reddit (not just for corgi subreddits [guilty])
edx.org - Online courses free from top universities (this one is particularly good)
flvto.biz - Converts video to mp3
WolframAlpha.com - Answers all your questions (not to be confused with Magic8 ball)
Quizlet.com - Generates study tools
xmind.net - Mind mapping tool
Cheatography.com - Cheat sheet builder
Studyblue.com - Generates learning tools
Audible.com - Audio versions of books
Instagrok.com - Interactive concept maps
citethisforme.com - Bibliography and citation creator
Pinterest.com - Store things for viewing later
Plagtracker.com - Check essays for plagiarism
Bookboon.com - Free book downloads
Your college website!
Productivity
Habitica.com - Game that improves good habits (love)
Icecreamapps.com - Free software applications
Slack.com - Group project communication tool (I use this a lot for Societies)
Budgeting
Freecycle.org - Find and give away things in your area for free, FOR FREE
Mint.com - Finance manager
Moneysavingsexpert.com - Financial advice (great for discounts and freebies)
Wisebread.com -Tips for living on a budget (Living the €4 Tesco wine and €2 Lidl pizza kind of life)
Health & Lifestyle
Sleepyti.me - Calculates the optimal time you should wake up depending on what time you go to bed
Unplugthetv.com - Alternative to TV binges
Netflix - Alternative to Unplugthetv.com
Hope you find some of this helpful and best of luck for the coming college year. Until next time x
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