The Top 10 Items You Didn't Think Of, That Are Needed for College Students

The top ten items needed by college students, both traditional and nontraditional students, include some nice-to-have’s and some necessities. The items below will make your life as a student easier and more enjoyable.

1. USB Flash Drive: When purchasing this, make sure it has at least 1 GB of memory and is a USB drive rather than some other form or Flash memory.  A 1 GB USB drive will be sufficient to hold all the files for all your classes.  However, be sure you keep a backup.  These are handy to have, and are a good way to transport information from school computers to your home computer, but they can, and occasionally do, malfunction.
2. Rolling Backpack: Traditional backpacks can cause severe and long lasting injury to your shoulders when carrying 30 to 40 pounds of textbooks all over campus.  To make it easier to get around campus and to prevent shoulder, back, and neck injuries, purchase a rolling backpack.  The difference in fatigue alone will make it a welcome purchase.
3. Ergonomic ink pens and pencils: Most pens and pencils have a very slim barrel, which can cause hand fatigue and cramping when taking notes in classes.  Ergonomic pens and pencils come in a variety of styles and prices. 
4. Assorted Highlighters: When taking notes or underlining in your textbook, an assortment of colors in highlighters will make it easier to mark specific types of information.  For instance, you might mark dates you need to remember in blue, inventor’s names in yellow, and important topic ideas in green.  Orange might be used for items you need to ask about or review again.  Whatever method you choose to use, an assortment of highlighters will allow you to color code your study materials.  Tip:  remember that only fluorescent yellow will not show in a photocopy.
5. Laptop or Desktop Computer: Regardless of the field you plan to study, you will need a way to write papers, take and store notes, and download instructor files.  You have several choices here.  You can go to your local store or purchase online.  You can purchase brand new, or purchase a refurbished system or a used computer. Refurbished computers have been restored to factory specifications, and are often less expensive.  Try to stay with a good brand name such as Acer, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Toshiba, or Sony. Before buying, check with your school to see if they have recommendations for minimum computer specifications.  Some colleges/universities actually offer refurbished equipment for sale, or are able to get promotional deals for their students from the manufacturers.
6. Textbooks:  This should be obvious, but you would be surprised how many students try to get through a class without the textbook.  While it can be done, it makes it extremely difficult for both student and instructor.  You need your textbook for readings and assignments, and you need the current edition required for the class.  Older editions will not have all the same information and assignments, and page numbers will be different, as the content that does stay the same.
7. Appointment or Assignment Calendar Book: These can be expensive or inexpensive, depending on the brand and where you purchase them.  Most department stores will have them, as will most book stores, including the college bookstore.  These make it much easier to keep up with assignments and due dates for multiple classes.
8. Watch: You will need a way to keep up with time.  Sometimes, college schedules will have an hour or more of time between classes.  Without a watch, you may be late to your next class.
9. Umbrella: There will be rainy days at some point during most semesters.  A small umbrella that fits into a pocket of your backpack will be welcome when a sudden shower or storm comes up.
10. Water Bottle: Soft drinks in most campus vending machines are expensive.  Bottled water, or your own filtered tap water, will keep you hydrated while walking across campus.  If you expect to be on campus all day, you should carry at least two 20 ounce water bottles with you.

Other items you may need are paper, folders, binders, rulers, art supplies, and a printer.  Each instructor will have a list of supplies that are required for the class. If you are unable to secure any of these items, or if you have to wait until you receive your student loan refund to purchase them, be sure to discuss it with your instructor.  Your instructor may have some ideas how to help you manage until you are able to purchase what you need.