3 Essential School Supplies You’ll Need for College

The new semester is rapidly approaching, and that means an entire wave of fresh-faced college students ready to continue their education. While it would be enough to show up with a few notebooks and a pencil case back in the day, the times have changed and so have the supplies that students need throughout their collegiate years. Here are a few must-have school supplies that will make your transition into college as smooth as possible.

An easily portable laptop

More and more, universities are relying on digital education methods to streamline the teaching process and improve learning quality for both teachers and professors. This means that a laptop is an absolute must for a majority of America’s colleges. Plus, if you’re less interested in an on-campus experience and you’re looking into accredited online and continuing education degree programs, you won’t be able to get by without some form of dedicated internet access.

While the thought of purchasing a laptop might make you balk just thinking of the cost, there are plenty of affordable options that can handle all of your schooling needs without breaking your budget. Chromebooks in particular are known for both their quality and affordability. Since they use flash memory (much like cell phones do) as opposed to their more expensive SSD and HDD counterparts, their prices are far lower. While you won’t be able to download and run the latest video game releases, Chromebooks are excellent for typing papers, browsing the internet, and even streaming TV shows after you complete your assignments.

Custom components to nail every presentation

When it comes to impressing your professors and standing out as a top student, it’s important to invest in materials that show off your dedication to educational excellence. One of the best ways to really stand out from the crowd is to invest in custom supplies which put your own unique stamp on every presentation material. For instance, if you’re getting ready to defend your thesis, what better way to make a statement than by passing out all of your research and supporting documents in custom folders with your initials on it?

Custom supplies like folders and stationary are an excellent way to leave a lasting impression on your professors. This can be important when it comes to seeking out internship opportunities, requesting letters of recommendation for graduate programs, and using them as references for job applications. By making an immediate impact on your educators, you’re setting yourself up for further success later down the line.

A handy calculator

If you thought you’d be able to coast through college without taking at least one or two math courses, here’s a bit of bad news: unless you’re attending a specialty college for performance, music, or art, you’ll likely have to take a general education math course as a requirement for your degree program, regardless of your major. So while your smartphone can probably compute most basic equations, it won’t be valid when it comes time for finals week. Although you probably won’t need to invest hundreds of dollars into a state-of-the-art graphing calculator, you shouldn’t invest in the cheapest option you can find, either.

Show up to class as prepared as you can be

Making sure you have the right supplies before your first day of classes is the first step toward a successful semester. Depending on your degree program, you may have different requirements, but for the most part, the aforementioned supplies are a great starting point to help you hit the ground running. Make sure to study hard, do your best, and enjoy every learning opportunity your college presents to you.