One of my favourite aspects of the back-to-school season has always been shopping. I love fresh stationery, crisp new clothes, and a clean school bag. Having cute school supplies makes it easy to romanticize my life and stay motivated to do my schoolwork. However, cute does not mean functional. Here is a list of things I regret buying and not buying for university:
A Backpack
Opting for cute and trendy, I purchased a black tote bag for my first semester of university. I felt like I had stepped straight out of my Pinterest boards. To my surprise, I grew to hate this bag. When I walked between lecture halls, it slipped off of my shoulder. It couldn’t fit my water bottle, and if I wore a thick sweater, it hardly fit around my arm. On top of these issues, it had no organizational pockets. My car keys, electronics, and coursework chaotically scrambled together inside my tote. By mid-September, I bought a backpack. Now, I have a designated pocket for everything I need, including my laptop, keys, phone, and wallet. Having the right bag is a huge relief, and I completely regret not starting university with an organized backpack.
An iPad & Apple Pencil
In high school, I took notes by hand. I have neat handwriting, so I enjoyed using colourful stationery to make my notes engaging. An iPad promised that I wouldn’t have to spend as much money on stationery. It also solved the problem of having to use white-out if I accidentally smudged my pen. After making this purchase, I soon realized that 1) my sweaty hand on my iPad drove me crazy, 2) my professors spoke too quickly for me to keep up when writing notes, and 3) I had absolutely no time to go back and make my notes cute. My notes looked like chicken scratch, which made them stressful to review. I quickly opted for my ASUS laptop and began taking notes on OneNote. With OneNote, my notes became easy to take, read, and navigate.
A Binder
After doing school online during the pandemic, I forgot that teachers often give printed handouts in class. On my first day of university, I shoved loose syllabi into my dysfunctional tote bag, ripping and crumpling these important documents. Now, I know that a binder is a must!
A Phone Stand
A phone stand makes calling your loved ones, watching Netflix, and reading digital textbooks easier. Now, I don’t have to haphazardly balance my phone on tissue boxes and books to get it to stand up. Additionally, I can charge my phone while it sits up without bending and possibly breaking my charger. Phone stands are cheap on Amazon and make student life just a tiny bit easier.
A Digital Planner
After getting my iPad, I purchased a digital planner for Goodnotes. I put all of my due dates and homework into my planner. Inevitably, I did not stick to my study plan and found it tedious to adjust my tasks. If I wanted to move a task, I had to copy it, flip between digital pages, and paste it. I resorted to Google Calendar, which is free and links with Notion, a productivity app I love. Now, if I need to adjust my study plan, I can simply drag and drop my events or tasks without hassle.
Conclusion
In all, I’ve found that functionality is key when choosing school supplies. While I could feel bitter about wasting money on the wrong items, I am happy that my experiences may help new university students prepare for the fall semester. Happy studying!