10 Perfect Back to Supplies For Your Next Semester

Karla leal

Going on my fourth year at a university I’d hope I’d know a thing or two about back to school supplies. To be honest with y’all “Back to school supplies” shopping is like Christmas for me. There’s nothing like a new set of pens and some fully loaded highlighters to get the school year started on the right foot. As you can tell I’m a big “back to school” fan and I love buying new supplies for my upcoming semester, so I thought I’d share with you my top 10 must haves for your next semester.


1. BINDERS – After my first year at a uni, I swore I’d never buy another notebook again (it didn’t work out) but I refuse to buy notebooks for school. Binders are essential because you’ll save money by not buying notebooks every year instead all you have to do is buy loose leaf paper that usually goes on sale for $.50 when back to school sales roll around. 

*PRO-TIP: I like to buy 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch binders for most classes so I won’t mix my class materials. I have 6 binders overall.


2. LOOSE LEAF PAPER – If you go the binder route you need loose leaf paper. I’m telling y’all, this goes on sale for $.50 (Office Depot sometimes sells them for A PENNY!) Getting a binder will save you money and space because you no longer have to save those old notebooks; just recycle the paper after the semester/year and get ready for next set of classes.
3. PENS – Of course we need writing tools and my pick are pens. I would suggest getting an assortment of colors because I believe in flashcards for studying, as well as color coding. 
4. WHITE OUT – As careful as we can be we can always make mistakes, I usually scratch my mistakes, to be honest, but there are those moments when you need to erase something entirely. It’s obviously harder when it comes to pens so white out is a must.
*PRO-TIP: Purchase the white out tape rather than buying the liquid (I’m sure you were going to anyways but just to be safe) 
5. HIGHLIGHTERS – Highlighters are a back to school staple. Everyone suggests getting highlighters because these are a great tool. I don’t use them to highlight in my textbook but rather I use them for color coding if I forgot my colored pens or I need more colors to continue my color coding. I also love using these for my index cards so I can learn key terms but that can be another post if you’d like.
6. PENCILS – I only include this onto the list because TEST TAKING. Pencils are great when you take tests in case you make any mistakes and some teachers require a scantron meaning you need a pencil. 
7. FLASH DRIVE – Some teachers require most or all their assignments to be printed which means you need to work on a computer. I believe students need a flash drive instead of a laptop. The reasoning? Most universities have plenty of computers for you to use that is already included in your tuition so take advantage. If you decide to use your university’s computers you might not always have the time to work on the same computer. but having a flash drive ensures you have your work with you no matter where you go.
8. INDEX CARDS – I’m a big fan of index cards since I use them to create my flash cards. They help with my memorization and have actually improved my grades since I started using them. If you don’t want to carry around paper notecards you can use quizlet.com and it’s like an eletronic version of flash cards.
9. STAPLER – You will need a stapler for those papers that are longer than one page or any assignments that must be turned in hand instead of online. 
*PRO-TIP: Your teacher will most likely NOT have a stapler for you to use so be prepared.
10. FOLDERS – I have a weird organization system and I hate having my graded papers in my binders. I know I’m a weirdo but it’s true. I usually just have 2 folders that hold my graded papers or drafts for my classes. I do this to make sure that I do not mistake any previous work for current work and miss a deadline. 
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So I’m a little particular about my back to school supplies but I’ll tell you they’re all there for a reason. 
Let me know what are your favorite back to school supplies? 
xoxo, K

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