What Is Worth Buying in College? Best College Essentials for Studying, Staying Organized, and Saving Time

University Short Cuts
1 day ago
6 min read

Noise-canceling headphones for studying
Spotify Premium or Apple Music student plan
A reliable computer or laptop
Computer cover or laptop sleeve
Three-ring binder with dividers and loose-leaf paper
Pens, pencils, erasers, and whiteout
Pencil case
Optional iPad or electronic notebook
Reusable water bottle
Quality backpack
Gum or mints
Daily planner

Quick Summary: Best College Essentials Worth Buying

Noise-canceling headphones, a good laptop, reliable internet, and a daily planner are some of the biggest productivity helpers.
A quality backpack, binder system, pens, pencils, and a water bottle make daily campus life easier.
Student discounts on music streaming apps can make studying with music or podcasts more affordable.

Why These College Essentials Are Worth Buying

With the fall semester starting soon, I figured I would cover some items that are worth having when you start classes again. At least in my opinion, these items are worth getting, even though you may be able to go without some of them. Everything I am going to cover is something I used while in college. Some of these I did not implement until later, and honestly, I wish I had started using them sooner. Once I got a system down for how to approach college, I became more effective with my time and started to enjoy college more.

Noise-Canceling Headphones for Studying in College

To start off, noise-canceling headphones are so good for studying because they allow you to study in places where other people are around while still giving you the luxury of a quiet space. It was honestly pretty nice to study in the Student Union even when it was busy. It made it feel like I was not missing out. On top of the noise cancellation, you can listen to podcasts or music if you are doing tasks that are not too brain-intensive. It seems like there was always some part of the week that had a low-brain-intensive task that still took an hour or two.

Spotify Premium or Apple Music for College Students

Piggybacking off listening to music and podcasts, an Apple Music or Spotify Premium account can be well worth the cost. I would also look for student discounts to save money. I still use Spotify to this day, and odds are you may already use a music streaming app. The ads really break your flow when you are completing tasks, so that is one of the main reasons I paid for Spotify Premium and never looked back.

A Reliable Computer and Fast Internet for Homework

The next item on the list is a good computer. You do not want your computer’s speed to slow you down when you are doing homework. On top of this, it may be a good idea to get reliable internet if you live in an apartment while in college. You do not want slow internet to hold you back, either. I cannot tell you how much stress relief fast internet brings when you need to complete college homework online. It is so annoying to wait for your internet just to submit an assignment that took you three hours to finish. At that point, you just want to be done, but you cannot be until your internet decides to work.

Computer Covers and Laptop Protection for College

With a good computer comes having to take good care of it. I suggest getting a computer cover or laptop sleeve, so when you haul it around in your backpack, it does not get scratched up. Depending on the cover, it may also help prevent dents.

A Good Backpack for College Classes and Campus Life

Speaking of hauling stuff around, you will need a good backpack. It is worth having one that is comfortable and durable because you will probably have your backpack on longer in college than you did in high school. Personally, I like a good-sized backpack that can hold a decent amount of stuff. Think of your backpack as your mobile office. I used both OGIO and Oakley backpacks while in college, and they both worked well. However, I preferred OGIO, and I still use it.

Binder, Dividers, and Paper for Better College Notes

What else would you want to put into your backpack for college? Well, you have to take notes for your classes. You could use your computer for that; however, I prefer handwriting my notes. What I suggest is getting a three-ring binder, then buying dividers to go into the binder. I also liked using three-hole reinforced-edge paper. You may need a 1.5-inch or 2-inch three-ring binder, depending on the semester. I also liked having a couple of normal folders for random papers from a given class.

Pens, Pencils, Erasers, and a Pencil Case

Now, how are you going to take notes on all this paper? I suggest getting both nice pens and pencils. I like mechanical pencils as well as colored pens. On top of this, you need a place to store your writing devices, so I suggest a pencil case. This allows you to just throw everything in your backpack. Also, get a good eraser and whiteout because you will likely make mistakes while taking notes.

iPad or Electronic Notebook for Digital Notes

If handwritten notes are not your style, consider an iPad or another note-taking device. There are a lot of options on the market, and I am not an expert on all of them, so do your research and see what you think would suit you best.

A Reusable Water Bottle for Long Study Days

When you study for long hours, you have to stay hydrated. I suggest getting a good water bottle that is around 20 ounces, so it fits in your backpack okay. There are plenty of brands, so do not cheap out on your water bottle if you know you will use it every day.

Gum for Studying and Focus

Also, when studying, I focus better when I have gum, so I always keep a pack of gum with me in my backpack.

A Daily Planner to Stay Organized in College

Finally, the last item I suggest is having a daily planner to help lay out your ideas and tasks for the day. I am selling a daily planner, and I will link it here if you want to buy it. However, any daily planner will likely help you stay organized and on top of things. I obviously prefer my planner over other options, but the main point is to find a system that helps you keep track of your assignments, deadlines, and daily tasks.

Why I Switched to a Three-Ring Binder System

All these items are things I used in college, and some took time to implement correctly and consistently. For example, I used to get individual notebooks for every class. The problem was that not every class had the same amount of note-taking. What ended up happening was that some notebooks were full of notes, while others had almost nothing in them. That is why I switched to three-ring binders. With an individual paper, you can adjust the number of pages you need for each class. Also, you and I do problems from the textbook and save them as notes in your three-ring binder. I actually had a separate three-ring binder for Statistics, which I laid everything out nicely for each chapter, with the problems I did to help study.

Summary

Overall, I hope you find some of these items helpful when you are in college; some you may already have. But I hope there is one item on the list that has provided you with some value and maybe even some time saving when working through classes to obtain your college degree. Lastly, please consider joining my email list so you can stay up to date on new blog posts and other happenings with University Short Cuts. Then, if you want to keep the learning going and need help with STEM subjects, University Short Cuts has a TikTok page that you can follow. There are posts every day.

Stay Connected for More College Tips

If you liked this post, you may like some of my other blog posts. You can find them on my blog tab on my website! If you enjoyed my work and want to get better at math, please consider buying my calculus one book called Calculus One Made Simple. Additionally, if you want to be more effective with your time, please consider buying my planner here!

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