My Favorite + Most Used Stationery Items (for College/University)
This is the “I need new stationery for back to school” guide by yours truly (juniorincollege). Please keep in mind that there are two main types of students, those who don’t care about stationery and will buy a pen from a library 5 minutes before a lecture and those who are obsessed with stationery and like to buy such items early, in order to be prepared for university.
However, just because you buy new stationery every school year, it doesn’t mean that you will get good grades. I regret to inform you that there is no correlation between new stationery and straight A’s.
Another disclaimer: these are stationery items that I have used and loved the past 4 years of undergraduate studies at a university. What I like + use may not be what you like to use. You also don’t need an excessive amount of stationery, but since I often receive questions about my favorite stationery pieces, which I constantly feature on my studygram, I decided that it would be nice to have it all in one post (for future reference), including photos of how the items mentioned below look like (mostly taken by me), as well as links where you can purchase them online. I like to shop during back to school sales (broke college student problems) to get good deals; therefore, I won’t be able to link all of the items (I shop at local grocery stores and still manage to find cute stuff), but it will give you an idea what to look out for.
Now that this long disclaimer is over (I hope you read it!), let’s begin the list:
STAPLER - is a savior when you need to staple handouts or papers that you have to print out for class and you can’t run to the library to staple together. I would get a small one, so that you could carry it in your pencil case. This is the one I have and use to this day (it lasted me throughout university all 4 years).
PENCIL CASE - any cute + small pencil case will do, as long as you like the shape, size, color + pattern of it. You can find them everywhere, from stores like Flying Tiger and Muji, to Ebay/Amazon or AliExpress. Just have a look, I have this one from O’Neill.
AGENDA/PLANNER/BULLET JOURNAL - college students NEED to have and use planners, in order to keep up with assignments and not fail. I used to use planners provided by my university; however, once they stopped making them, I bought a small pocket planner while studying abroad in South Korea. People get very particular about planners/agendas, so buy what you would like/is available to you. You can also try to use a bullet journal, but I wouldn’t recommend it, because it’s a hassle to keep up with. If you would like to learn more about what is a bullet journal, you can click HERE. If you want to start a bullet journal and need a notebook for it, I would HIGHLY recommend these Leuchtturm ones, I have one in red and I love the quality!
BACKPACK - let’s not pretend you can carry all of your life in a cute bag, so please save your back and get a sturdy backpack. There are so many different + cool styles out there, that look beautiful and stylish and are also practical. I personally have a Herschel in this style and size, Herschel backs are of great quality and beautiful designs, I highly recommend them! But I would also recommend checking out these brands: Fjallraven Kanken (very popular), Superdry, Mi-pac (my friend loves hers!), Converse, Hype, Adidas (they look really great!). I do suggest investing your money in a quality backpack, because they will last you a long time!
NOTEBOOKS - I prefer A4 size, gridded and college ruled, spiral bound notebooks for note taking. They don’t always have the cutest designs, but they’re very practical! I found them really comfortable to use! HERE are some, similar to the ones that I always get.
PENS - people like different pens for different reasons. I like ball point pens in blue + black, like these ones from Staedtler or THESE. If I can find them in a pack of different colors, I usually buy that (so then I can color code my notes + planners/calendars). I’ve also heard a lot of hype about these Pilot pens. TBH any brand works! So get whatever is available to you!
COLORED PENS/HIGHLIGHTERS - this is a separate category for those who are into color coding or taking colorful notes and like to have/use different pens than ball point style. I like using fine liners for note taking/headers, like these ones. I also use highlighters for readings or important information in my notes, these and these are good. Again, anything readily available will do, you don’t have to buy expensive stationery.
PENCILS - for tests (if you’re in the US) or notes, or drawings, etc. HERE are the ones I love to use daily (except I have ones without rubbered tips). Again, any pencils will do, you can also get mechanical ones (whatever you like).
FOLDERS - for sorting out syllabus, class readings + handouts, papers that you have to print out. You can do 1 notebook + 1 folder per class, or get a multiple slot folder, which is what I did. HERE and HERE are some similar to the ones I used. I’m sure you can find some in your local stationery stores.
LAPTOP - this is an obvious one (it really should be item no. 1 in this list) if you’re already a university student. Your life will be on your laptop. Make sure you get one that is lightweight, because you will have to carry it, so don’t forget that. HERE are some that some tech people who know shit about laptops recommend. Also HERE and HERE. Honestly, just get someone who knows stuff about computers/tech to help you, make sure it’s with a discount 😉 and will last you 4 years. NOTE: You don’t need to splurge on a Mac book to do well at school, I personally used a Dell laptop and got straight A’s, so… a laptop isn’t everything, but it’s an important item for every university student.
So there you go, a list of my favorite/highly recommended stationery items for university students!
P.S. when I asked my friends what they would recommend or would include in this list, one of them said “A friend who has pen and paper” because you can borrow them from people in your class.😂😂😂 Like I said, there are different types of students.😉
If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to message me. You can also follow my studygram and read other blog posts HERE.