Monday, August 11, 2014

Back to School (For College Students)

     If you walked into a store right now, you would most likely see posters promoting back-to-school sales. Notebooks, pencils, calculators, and folders are spilling out of the shelves. When I was younger, this always filled me with a touch of excitement. New school supplies and new opportunities! Even now, I still feel the same way. I still get sparks of enthusiasm when I see the notebooks being pulled out. And although I am beginning college in a week (yikes!), I found that there are still ways that college students can make some fun "back to school" preparations. Let's look at some now.

School Supplies:

     This one is obvious. Get yourself several notebooks. I bought several cheap-y ones that will hopefully last me throughout the semester. It's a good idea to pick up a bundle of them while they are on sale. I also got a couple of fun notebooks. One of my favorites is the Studio C 1-subject standard notebook with the neon paper. It's a nice size, and the bright colors look great with some ink pens.

     Speaking of pens, invest in some quality pens and pencils. It's tempting to go with the 50 cent pencils, but those don't pay off in the end. I like to use Paper Mate WriteBros mechanical pencils, along with Paper Mate InkJoy pens. These writing utensils always finish the job. If you want to splurge a little, also pick up some Sharpie Fine Point Pens. They look really good on the neon notebook paper mentioned above. :) Other miscellaneous school supplies can come in handy too, like a good planner, Post-it Flag dividers, and index cards.

Neon Paper!















Clothes:

     Now be careful on this one. It's easy to see the cute new styles on store racks and be tempted to buy them all. However, make sure you get the items that you really need. Pick up some basic, but cute shirts that will match a variety of jeans and shorts. Also, check to see that you have a couple pairs of jeans that you love. Jeans are great because they match with practically anything. Next, buy a couple of cardigans, hats, scarves, or whatever other accessories you want, so that you can play up your campus outfits. Finally, get some good shoes. Most likely, you will be walking all over your college campus, so you'll want something cute, but comfortable. Personally, I love Converse shoes. They're a classic, and they last forever.

Sorry for the terrible pics! Lighting was not good...























Music:

     Wait a second, you say. Music? That's part of your back to school prep? Well, if you know me, I love music, and I'm almost always listening to it. Music, namely scores or classical compositions, can be great background noise while studying. Normally, I buy the music and make it into a personalized playlist. A few of the items included in that playlist are several Hans Zimmer scores (Inception, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.), Gravity by Steven Price, Transformers by Steve Jablonsky, any classical music, and a few dubstep/electronic albums, like Lindsey Stirling. But if you don't want to take the time to download and sync music, make an account on Pandora or Spotify. These online radio and music providers have pre-made playlists that can play hours of good studying music.

Devotion:
 
     This is optional. I know many don't consider themselves "religious." However, college is a time to try new things, and getting involved in a Bible study group is worth giving a shot. :) Or some of you may just want to try a new devotional. Maybe get a devotional with a college theme. There's lots of great student devotionals to read. While it's not college-oriented, the book I've been studying along with God's Word is Francis Chan's Crazy Love book. His illustrations are riveting, and his points are sharp and clear. This would make a great devotional to start this semester.

     Well, I hope you are now inspired to make a couple of back to school preparations, and I hope this post has been helpful. Whether you go out and buy a bunch of supplies or just rest at home with some coffee and mentally prepare yourself for classes, get excited with me for the new experiences and opportunities that are bound to come with a new semester.

P.S. Got some back to school faves that I left out? Comment and tell me about them below! I'd love to hear how you prepare for a new semester.

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