School Supplies: The Extras

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Emory University’s first day of classes (August 24th) are almost upon us and soon you’ll be moving into your Clairmont Reserve Apartment. Everyone will be back in their classrooms before long and your brains will be filling up with the knowledge and skills to carry you into your professional lives. You need to be equipped to handle it. You know you’ll need the basics: notebooks, pencils, laptops, etc. But what else? We’ve put together a list of some cool supplies that you might not have thought of. You might not need all of these things in order to get an education but they will help make the process more enjoyable!

Audiobooks

You’re going to have a lot of reading to do once school starts back up. Not fun reading either because your professor probably won’t be assigning Harry Potter for your weekly reading. And reading takes time. That’s time you could be doing other things. Instead of setting aside tons of time to commit all of this information to memory, multitask. Head to the gym and listen to an audiobook of your recommended reading while you pump iron. Not only will it keep your mind occupied while you’re on the treadmill or lifting but it might help you commit the info to memory a little easier. There is research suggesting that listening comprehension correlates strongly with reading comprehension. Try Audible for buying or borrowing your audiobooks.

Distraction-Free Writing

It’s really easy to sit down to write a paper or complete a homework assignment and get distracted by the internet. It’s an endless pit of memes and cute animal videos that once you’re in is very difficult to extract yourself from. You need a distraction free workspace. Website blockers keep you from bouncing around the internet to Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit. Try StayFocusd, Self Control, or Cold Turkey to keep yourself on track.

A minimalist writing application might be the other tool you need to keep yourself focused. Writer and Write! are great options that leave you with just the bare bones of what you’ll need to get your writing done.

Planners

You’re going to be taking multiple courses throughout the semester and each class will have its own workload. It can be hard to keep it all straight. You might have carried around a school planner when you were in elementary school or high school but those can still be helpful in your college life. Grab yourself a paper planner as simple or as fancy as you like and start writing down those assignments. If a physical planner isn’t your style, try an app! We all have phones and they’re attached to our hips at all times, so you’ll never have an excuse to not put your assignments and projects into your calendar app.

Going back to school might not be the most fun experience but it doesn’t have to be difficult. These simple tools will give you an extra boost to being the best student you can be.

What school supplies do you utilize that other people might not have thought of?