School has started back up for most kids in our country. AND I can’t be the only mom that’s excited to buy new pencils, brand new notebooks, and drop those kids off at school! 😉 Of course, since there’s several colleges close by I have noticed a lot of extra things for upper division students, and it has me wishing that I had these when I was first in college.
So if you have some high schoolers or new college students, consider surprising them with some of these.
First Off….Microsoft Office 365 (especially OneNote).
My new computer came with a 30 day trial so I tried it out. AND ohmygosh it is amazing. Seriously. I think it’s underused. They have free trials and free video tutorials to get the most out of it. Just try it. Other than an organizer’s dream come true, you can share your notebook with other collaborators and work on projects together. An awesome way to bounce ideas around, plan trips, and communicate in general. I could go on, but seeing is believing so download a trial and see how it is. I definitely think you would use this more during your college years than afterwards, and they offer a discount for a 4 year subscription for students. Very generous of them. It’s completely invaluable to a college student that likes to take notes on their computer. Oh and some schools offer a free subscription to it if you’re attending there. So be sure to check to see if your school is participating! Really wish I had this 10 years ago.
Second…Study Life.
Windows 10 lets you install a whole bunch of apps, and mine had Study Life already installed. (I like to check out the programs to decide if they should be deleted or not from my computer). I can see how this would help a student. You can input your daily class schedule and update it with assignments, deadlines and exams. Really nice if you like your schedule to be digital. It can remind you of all those tasks, but You can check them on your phone with an app too and it syncs via the cloud. I didn’t get a whole lot of time to try this out but it seems like it would helpful to students.
Third…colored pens!!
Life is too short to just use black ink, how boring. I save blue and black for when I’m filling out applications, conducting business and legal what-not. The rest of the time I’m carrying around a pink or purple pen. My absolute favorite pens are the Pilot G-2 Gel pens, in every shade imaginable. Other than making my day planner bright and cheery, they let me write cute letters, write-out checks (yes, people still use checks. gasp), and are perfect for note taking. I used to categorize my notes by different pen colors. I could easily pick out definitions, subjects and headings, etc. Colored pens are a MUST if you take notes the old school way. And the G-2s glide so smoothly and comfortably. If you still think a pen is just a pen, you’re seriously missing out. These pens make your work so much easier to conduct.
But if you get really bored and like to draw on yourself, pick up a pack of BIC® Round Stic® Grip Xtra-Comfort Ballpoint Pens, Medium Point, 1.2 mm. The ballpoint glides easily and you can get a dark design that lasts long. Not that I’ve ever been bored enough to draw the girl from Les Miserables on my arm or anything. 😉 But I hear those are good to tat yourself with.
Oh, and just because…you need an awesome bag.
I gave my Swiss Army backpack to my kid because he asked nicely. It has a padded laptop pocket, and an earphone jack built in so you can listen to music or lectures while hauling between classes. He likes that it has a lot of pockets. He fills it with Superman magazines.
But I thought this would be cute for the ladies. I’m totally obsessed with Sak Roots. Ahhh they’re adorable. They have the right mix of peace love dove. And their prints always draw me in. Imagine toting this around. You just got 20% cooler. (Yes, My Little Pony reference), hah.
Oh and Google has playlists. Perfect for lipsyncing in the shower, study time, and getting pumped for exams. Way to go Google!
I took all these pictures with the screenshot ability from OneNote. So awesome.
So there ya go. I’m not affiliates of them, I just like to share fun things I find. 🙂
Have a fun back to school!