Must Have College School Supplies

I get just as excited, if not more excited, to get school supplies for my college classes. It's gotten to the point where I am convinced I do better in classes if I have the proper (read: CUTE) "equipment" necessary. I'm the world's pickiest school supply shopper while also being the type of person who needs certain items to successfully complete something. I figured since we're into week four of my spring semester, I should talk about my must have school supplies for college, as well as my favorite brands or stores to get them from!

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I swear by my agendas. I've gotten to the point where I need to keep two (one for schoolwork, one for blogging) in order to have some sort of semblance of order in my life. I still rely on post-it notes stuck over my desk area, but these two agendas keep me sane. I use the large agenda from Lilly Pulitzer and one from Sugar Paper (from Target). I've been pining after an Emily Ley or Erin Condren planners as well...Kate Spade has cute ones too (but I have a weird thing about writing on paper that's not white...it just doesn't look as nice!).

Okay, so obviously writing utensils are a must have for life in general, but I figured I could go into detail about my favorite brands. Side note: am I the only person who has favorite brands of pens and pencils? Yes? Okay, well this part is about to get real boring. For pens, I like using Bic's Cristal pens "For Her" (like what the hell is that supposed to mean?), as well as their multi-colored pens (the single ones and the one pen with the four pastel colors in it). I also use Bic's mechanical pencils because real pencils drive me crazy. I can't stand when the lead breaks or sharpening them. I also NEED highlighters in my life at all times. I like using Bic and Papermate!

I sleep, eat, and breathe post it notes and post it flags. If I didn't have them in combination with my agendas, I would surely get nothing done. Absolutely nothing. I use them to write grocery lists, to remind me to do something (like write a blog post!), or just as a super quick bookmark.

I also recommend having a mini stapler and paper clips. You never know when you're going to have to staple together homework or a paper. What if the printing lab's stapler is jammed and your professor is a stickler about not having your papers stapled (I've had them before, and it sucks)? Better safe than sorry! I like keeping paperclips for those super "just incase" moments. You never think you're going to need one and then you do and you're SOL.

Okay, this is a "must have" for me given my minor in Spanish and what not. If you are a fellow Spanish major/minor or have to take a foreign language class, a pocket Spanish/English dictionary is a life-saver for those classes where you can't use your phones or need unbiased accuracy. I also keep a small notebook for vocabulary words/words I find when I'm reading that I have to look up and want to remember. It's a great way to expand your vocabulary!

Notebooks are super important in college, for note taking, for scrap paper, for decoration. I prefer using Mead or Fivestar notebooks (college ruled, always), but the Kate Spade ones are so cute for decoration and journaling. I used to use 3-subject notebooks for classes because 1-subject was never enough and I swear, 2-subject notebooks don't exist in normal sizes. This semester, however, to reduce wasting paper, I just decided to go with 1-subject notebooks and use a second one if I run out of space.

So, my definitive list is for must have school supplies is as such:

1. Agenda

2. Highlighters

3. Pens & mechanical pencils

4. College-ruled notebooks

5. Spanish-English dictionary (optional)

6. Post-it notes & flags

7. Mini stapler

8. Paper clips

9. Folder with loose leaf (not shown)

Where is your favorite place to shop for school supplies?