ATAR Notes: Forum
Uni Stuff => General University Discussion and Queries => Topic started by: whichkim on January 11, 2014, 06:50:59 pm
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In preparation for uni, what should I be thinking of getting? Folders? Exercise books? etc. etc.?
Thanks in advance!
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Just posting here cos I wanna know too....
However, I think my brother gets a whole load of those spiral excercise books and like 20 packets of blue pens, but I'm guessing it depends on what you like
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Everyone studies differently. It's honestly ok to go through the first week with just a pen and single exercise book til you figure things out.
Personally, i have a bunch of display book folders (the ones with plastic pockets). One for each subject. I usually print out my lecture notes and scribble on them during the lecture/whilst im watching the recording. You dont really need display books but some method of keeping each subject distinct is obviously best.
I dont find myself (within science anyway) with much need for exercise books. All assignments are digital, if im learning in a lecture, i just write on the lecture notes. If im in the lab, i just scribble it in the margins of my lab manual.
Don't forget you dont have to pay the outrageous university store prices for textbooks either. I highly recommend http://www.booko.com.au
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Most people either print out the lecture notes and annotate them, or have tablets/laptops and scribble there
I'm probably the only one who does neither and uses exercise books to write notes
It all depends on how you study. As slothpomba said, just wait out the first week and see how it goes. And yes, buy your textbooks from booko, ebay and book depository, etc
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It's honestly ok to go through the first week with just a pen and single exercise book til you figure things out.
*cough* Uh... how about your whole degree with just a pen and exercise book? Come exam period at the end of each semester, I'd just tear all the pages out and make a pile for each subject, lol.
/plzdon'tjudgeme
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When I first started Uni, I got so frustrated about the fact that nobody told us what to buy. Not even a suggestion. Waited for host week, still nothing! Apparently not an important issue.
It's up to you though, you're on your own now, bud!
Look at your subjects and think what you may like to do. If you want to take notes electronically or print off slides, don't buy lecture pads, otherwise do. Experiment around a bit with different methods during your first semester and see what works :)
But just the basics. Don't bother with binders and stuff, in my opinion.
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I finished the whole year with a massive book and a few pens/pencils. It was a mess. Keep your notes organised. So prepare yourself accordingly.
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Well, I'm planning on getting good pens and nice looking books. But I'm mainly typing stuff on the computer but I guess I'll have a spare notebook since it's easier than using a loose leaf.
I'm planning on having a binder for a each subject-- this is where I put my lecture notes, assignments etc or whatever for that subject but I'm thinking of having a summary notes binder where I summarise all my notes and make tables and stuff (ie. proper notes, well for me it is) in that folder. So notes from tuts and stuff could probably go in my lecture notes binder and notes summarising what I learnt from Week One, Fortnight One, End of Month or End of Semester will go in my summary notes binder.
I'm not sure if that makes sense but here's just what I want to buy since I'm a stationery hoarder. Here's what I'm buying tomorrow before all the stock runs out:
* Highlighters x 2 sets (because I always run out).
* Sticky tabs
* Sticky note pads
* Pens - black, blue & red (buy some good ones! They can motivate you ahah)
* Clips
* Stapler
* Plastic pockets
* Pencils (if you need to depending on what course you're doing)
* Sticky tape
* Blu tack (It may come in handy one day)
* Binders x 2 per subject, depends on how you go, I guess. (One for lecture, one for summary)
* Folders (So if you're feeling lazy to organise something you just put it here temporarily until you have time to organise the info)
* Contact paper (To wrap your textbooks)
* Notebook - 5 subject or if you tend to use up lots of room, just stick with single notebooks.
I think that's it for now as I've yet to finalise this list.
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Well, I'm planning on getting good pens and nice looking books. But I'm mainly typing stuff on the computer but I guess I'll have a spare notebook since it's easier than using a loose leaf.
...
* Highlighters x 2 sets (because I always run out).
* Sticky tabs
* Sticky note pads
* Pens - black, blue & red (buy some good ones! They can motivate you ahah)
* Clips
* Stapler
* Plastic pockets
* Pencils (if you need to depending on what course you're doing)
* Sticky tape
* Blu tack (It may come in handy one day)
* Binders x 2 per subject, depends on how you go, I guess. (One for lecture, one for summary)
* Folders (So if you're feeling lazy to organise something you just put it here temporarily until you have time to organise the info)
* Contact paper (To wrap your textbooks)
* Notebook - 5 subject or if you tend to use up lots of room, just stick with single notebooks.
I think that's it for now as I've yet to finalise this list.
contact paper is the bane of my existence
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(http://i.imgur.com/7DcL9s5.jpg)
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Wrapping up textbooks in contact paper is a good idea, keep up the resell value
However, its probably not necessary to drag along bulky textbooks to uni - there will be plenty of copies in the library that you can borrow for the day, or even overnight
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What I do:
Read lecture notes on my laptop as much as I can (like literally when sitting at home doing nothing)
Kill a small tree everytime an exam comes up for prac exams and tutorials I didn't go to in the semester.
Works well for me I reckon. Maybe not for Bio students who have so much shiz to remember.
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(http://i.imgur.com/7DcL9s5.jpg)
I like making lists, haha. Can't help it. I hate feeling like I can't control anything :P
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What I do:
Read lecture notes on my laptop as much as I can (like literally when sitting at home doing nothing)
Kill a small tree everytime an exam comes up for prac exams and tutorials I didn't go to in the semester.
Works well for me I reckon. Maybe not for Bio students who have so much shiz to remember.
This is my strategy as well. I have a bunch of a4 papers. They are so good for studying/problem solving. Things get messy but that's another story.
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What I do:
Read lecture notes on my laptop as much as I can (like literally when sitting at home doing nothing)
Kill a small tree everytime an exam comes up for prac exams and tutorials I didn't go to in the semester.
Works well for me I reckon. Maybe not for Bio students who have so much shiz to remember.
2 minutes and the upvotes are already rolling in...ATARNotes confirmed an environmentally friendly community.
To add though as well, and as a biol student: people always made sure that they had some record of notes, either typed or on the slides, or handwritten. The problem with is like Hancock said, there's just so much crap to remember. Biology isn't conceptually difficult, so I don't really think there's a huge benefit in trying to "soak it in". Just write like crazy and don't fall asleep, and all will be hunky dory (Y)
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* Binder for each subject
* Each binder should have an exercise book and plastic pockets
Only bring the exercise book to class. You don't want to be carrying textbooks all day. I also recommend keeping a stapler in your bag especially around essay/report printing time.
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In high school, I was the type of person who had all the different types of stationery. But yeah...that kinda changed when I started uni and a pen and pencil + notebook seemed to be sufficient.
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For my first year of uni all I used was one of those five-tab exercise books and a pen. Depends on what you are doing however.
e.g. you may need to view lectures and they may be online so therefore you may need a tablet or print-outs
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I'm really wondering. Has anyone else used a different colour other than black in their whole education? Or is it just me?
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I'm yet to take notes on anything other than the front cover of my subject readers lel.
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I guess that means that I don't really need to spend hundred of dollars on my stationery this year. Yey.
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I guess that means that I don't really need to spend hundred of dollars on my stationery this year. Yey.
Spend it on burritos instead :D
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I'm really wondering. Has anyone else used a different colour other than black in their whole education? Or is it just me?
I have.
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4/5 subject spiral notebooks are what I rely on. Also display folders for handouts/lecture notes :)
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I'm really wondering. Has anyone else used a different colour other than black in their whole education? Or is it just me?
Yes, Blue.
I bought one of those Monash 5 divider notebooks. 2 years ago. Each semester i rip out about 5 pages and re-use the next semester.
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I'm really wondering. Has anyone else used a different colour other than black in their whole education? Or is it just me?
I make sure all 4 colours in my 4-pen are used equally
#equality
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I make sure all 4 colours in my 4-pen are used equally
#equality
You might be the only person - anywhere - who willingly writes with that green ink :P
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You might be the only person - anywhere - who willingly writes with that green ink :P
Plz. You should see the A4 sized chloroplast in my bio notes. :D
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What I do:
Read lecture notes on my laptop as much as I can (like literally when sitting at home doing nothing)
Kill a small tree everytime an exam comes up for prac exams and tutorials I didn't go to in the semester.
Works well for me I reckon. Maybe not for Bio students who have so much shiz to remember.
Kill small tree.... How do you afford so much paper and ink, or does uni let you print for free or something?! Or local library..
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Paper and ink is one thing in my house that I don't pay for. #parents
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Kill small tree.... How do you afford so much paper and ink, or does uni let you print for free or something?! Or local library..
It's actually not that expensive. A (good) black and white laser printer, maybe $90-$100 from office works. If you buy the ink off eBay, it's about $15 bucks and prints 2600 pages (or so they claim). It's peanuts and very convenient too. The printer comes with a free half ink cartridge as well. So, for $110 (lets say) you can print (apparently) 3900 pages. That works out to be about $0.028 a page, including the cost of the printer, over a lifetime it'll go down as you spread the cost of the machine over more pages too. To print black and white at monash is $0.12 a side, more or less quadruple the price, not to mention the convience.
Unless you're one of those people who never prints anything ever, i'd highly recommend you'd get a cheap laser printer.
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You might be the only person - anywhere - who willingly writes with that green ink :P
That green... There are two types of greens in the 4pen world. The pooy one that looks like diarrhea, the 4pens with just a ball on top (no donut), then there are the donut ones where the green is like the most beautiful green. Comes handy at times where you drawcrastinate (alondouek stole it from me... #copyright2014) so you don't waste the other beneficial colours
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That green... There are two types of greens in the 4pen world. The pooy one that looks like diarrhea, the 4pens with just a ball on top (no donut), then there are the donut ones where the green is like the most beautiful green. Comes handy at times where you procrastinate-draw so you don't waste the other beneficial colours
I admit, it must be said that drawcrastination (you heard it here first) is a serious issue in tertiary institutions, affecting all from the newest undergraduates to the most seasoned academics.
Just to keep this on-topic; OP, it will probably take you your first year of undergraduate study to find an organisational system that works for you. Just try different things, and see which method you devise will help you keep track of all your stuff (because I can ensure you that being a university student entails the possession of a lot of 'stuff').
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Would it be beneficial to buy a bottle of clag for some hefty glueing?
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Would it be beneficial to buy a bottle of clag for some hefty glueing?
That depends entirely, do you think you'll need to use glue much? I certainly haven't.
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For commerce subjects I just staple loose leaf sheets of A4 into their respective week since each week covers a certain topic
For languages I keep a mini A5 folder with my kawaiiasfuck A5 paper and divide it into vocab list and grammar
yup.