Lifestyle: stationery essentials + revision tips

As most people are back to school, college or university now; this means for me it is time to start back at college for my last year before I (hopefully) go off to university. Therefore, I thought it could be useful to share with you some of my stationery essentials for college/school/uni and tips for keeping up with revision and staying organised this academic year. 

Stationery Essentials:

Diary/Planner

If it wasn't for my diary, I'd have no idea what day it was - let alone what I was doing! I use it for organising my classes, writing down when I have dance

rehearsals, planning homework and writing reminders about extra-curricular activities. This planner was a bargain as it only cost me £1 from poundland! It also has a cover to keep it from getting damaged and space for a timetable and notes in the back, and space for contacts in the front.

Notebooks

There are two styles of notebook I use - first I use ordinary A5 notebooks for my general class notes. The to types of these I use are the 160 page polypro wide ruled notebooks (WH Smith, £3.99) and the Pukka A5 wide ruled stripe 200 page notebooks (Asda, £2.99 or 2 for £3.50). I prefer the A5 notebooks as it forces me to be specific and concise with my notes. It also makes it look less to read when going through notes (as there is less on the page) making it more bearable to read through!

My second style of notebook I use are these white/stripe two sided revision card notebooks (Asda, £1.50). They are really useful for making key points on to look back at later and the thick revision cards mean you can use markers on them without it seeping through and they are sturdy to be used over and over again. 

Pens and Pencils

I like to write notes in lots of fun pens as it makes me enjoy it more. There are a few varieties I use for my notes at college. For revision card notes, labelling books and headers on pages; I use mid tip marker pens to make sure they stand out and don't rub off. At the moment i'm using the Sharpie 12 pack fine tip permanent markers (Wilkos, £12.99) and the Crayola classic felt tip markers 12 pack (Wilkos, £2.99). I also use highlighters a lot in lessons and at the moment, I am using at the moment are the 5 pack of panda highlighters (Paperchase, £3.99).

For general notes, I like to use colour biros or highlighters to make it more bright and fun to read. I am currently using Office 10 pack colour ballpoint pens (poundland, £1) or papermate inkjoy 10 pack ball point pens (Asda, £3.99). I also use the Asda 8 pack fineliner pens (Asda, £2). However, for exams I do still need black biros and pencils; so for this I use the Bic 8 pack medium biros (Wilkos, £2.99) or Pens that I have collected from various uni events (like the Sussex one pictured). I also use this 6 pack mechanical pencils (Buyology, £1) for underlining, drawing and exams. 

For colouring and colour coding things, I keep a separate case of colouring pens and pencils. This includes these superman fine tip felt pens (Buyology, £2); these broad tip Berol felt pens (WH Smith, £7.99) and these double sided colour pencils (Wilkos, £2).

Other Stationery

I also keep a selection of other items that come in handy - such as these post it notes (poundland, paperchase, wilkos, WH smiths and Asda), a hole punch, stapler, tip-ex, erasers, a sharpener, glue stick, scissors and a ruler.

Revision Tips:

I also thought that some revision tips might be helpful for those of you who wanted to see how I revise for college. Firstly, I write everything in my notebooks and revision card books in bright colours to keep it fun to read and also colour coded to keep more organised. 

Also, I highlight important notes in my notebooks or key parts of worksheets to make sure I reread those parts of the text. Then, when I am unsure of something in the text and research when I reread it, I add a post it note with an explanation on it in order to make it stand out for future reference.

In my folder, I use page dividers to organise my subject work; and then I use dated poly pockets to organise work within the section. At the back of my folder I also keep important college notes, university prospectuses, UCAS information and incomplete homework so I can access it quickly when needed. 

"In school, you're taught a lesson 

and then given a test. In life, you're given

 a test that teaches you a lesson".

-Tom Bodett