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Old 08-05-2010 at 02:40 PM   #1
Chevalier
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back to school list
hey there. so i have been trying to find a thread about this but haven't been able to so i made my own.

you know how every year since grade one or w.e as soon as august rolls around your parents start asking you about what you need for the next school year . well its that time again and since uni is completely different from elementary and high school i thought id ask around.

so i am wandering if someone whos been through at least first year can help me out here.

WHAT DO I NEED... ( as in papers binders pens etc. and the quantity of each)
and lets make it realistic for 10 classes what and how much of it will i need in order for me to get through the year.

thanks a bunch
~ KRUPESH ~
Old 08-05-2010 at 02:49 PM   #2
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It really depends on person to person as well as to what program you are in.

I personally take all my notes down on my laptop except for a few classes like chemistry, physics and math.

Instead of having binders, I have folders on my computer.

Most people needs these:
Pencils
Erasers
Pens
McMaster approved calculator
Paper
Ruler
Printer
Printer Paper

As for the quantity, again it depends on person to person. I can survive with 100 pages throughout the year while other people may need close to 1000.

My advice is just to buy a decent amount, how much do you think you need according to how you study? You might want to get quite a bit of printer paper and a spare ink/toner cartridge though, I find there is a lot of printing to do.

I personally buy things as I need them, or if they are on sale I buy a bunch.
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Old 08-05-2010 at 02:50 PM   #3
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What you need will depend on how you plan on taking notes. If you plan on typing them in up your laptop, then that will reduce the amount of paper you need. Even if you are doing your notes in your laptop, you'll still want to have lined paper.

If you plan to write them, then you need to figure out how many classes times how many notebooks you need. Also the typical stuff, pens, pencils, erasers, stapler.. that kind of thing. Also printer paper and ink cartridges because you wont believe how fast those run out!

In addition, you'll want to check out what might be required for your courses (iclickers, lab notebooks) but your profs will let you know about that and you can do that at school.
Old 08-05-2010 at 02:51 PM   #4
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It depends on what you find useful. For me, it's exactly the same as in high school--each class gets a double-pocketed folder and a notebook (I don't use binders at all). In university, I find I tend to use the notebook a lot less, so I tend to reuse them for a couple of terms. In my folder, I put all of the lecture notes I print off, the tests, course outline and any other handouts. Practise problems and review notes go in the notebook. In high school, the only difference in this setup was that I took notes in the notebook. In university, I only do that if I wasn't able to print off the notes before class.

The standard McMaster calculator is the Casio fx-991MS, but I think any fx-991 series is okay.

Pens/pencils/erasers/tape/whiteout/glue/extra lined and printer paper/rulers are all good to have. I think we needed a ruler for some of the bio labs, but if you're not taking bio then it's probably not necessary. If you're taking any lab courses, don't worry about buying a lab notebook--they'll tell you what specific one you need, and you'll have to buy the correct one from Titles. You can also get your lab coat/goggles from Titles, but if you want to get them elsewhere that's fine--just make sure your goggles are actual goggles and not glasses, otherwise you won't be allowed to use them for some courses.

Highlighters and sticky notes/tabs are good if you're into that sort of note-taking. I really like to have a bunch of small pads of paper that I can write random lists/reminders on and stick to my bulletin board. Thumbtacks can be useful for sticking stuff to bulletin boards, and sticky tack for sticking stuff to walls. If you're in res, a whiteboard marker can be useful for writing stuff one people's doors/fridges (my fridge doubled as a whiteboard).

A stapler is useful but not essential--they have staplers in the libraries that you can use, but if you don't have time to go to the library before handing something in, it's good to have your own.

It's not that different from what you used in high school, just make sure that if you always used, say, your parents' stapler or tape or whatever that you get your own (unless you're living at home...in which case some of what I wrote might not apply).
Old 08-05-2010 at 02:58 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rebeccaaa View Post
In addition, you'll want to check out what might be required for your courses (iclickers, lab notebooks) but your profs will let you know about that and you can do that at school.
what's an iclickers?
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:01 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cjdzl View Post
what's an iclickers?
http://www.iclicker.com/dnn/Abouticl...3/Default.aspx
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Old 08-05-2010 at 03:01 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cjdzl View Post
what's an iclickers?
An iClicker is a little device that you use in class to input your answer to a multiple choice question so the prof can poll the class and see what people think the answer is. It's like the "ask the audience" thing on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. As far as I know you can only get them at Titles (although I'm sure if you looked hard enough you might be able to find the right kind somewhere else), so you don't need to worry about this until after classes start. Your prof will tell you exactly what specific course materials you need in the first class, and you won't need an iClicker on the first day.
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:04 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nerual View Post
An iClicker is a little device that you use in class to input your answer to a multiple choice question so the prof can poll the class and see what people think the answer is. It's like the "ask the audience" thing on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. As far as I know you can only get them at Titles (although I'm sure if you looked hard enough you might be able to find the right kind somewhere else), so you don't need to worry about this until after classes start. Your prof will tell you exactly what specific course materials you need in the first class, and you won't need an iClicker on the first day.
sounds interesting does this iclicker count for marks?
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:06 PM   #9
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You might want to also get a clipboard(if you're not living in res) writing notes on the ... I guess tables is annoying as papers will fall on the floor.

I believe a laser printer would be more useful than a colour printer as over the years the amount of ink catridges you buy do stack up and you will be printing a lot of things of the years, not just lecture notes but also assignments, essays reports and online quizzes.
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:06 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cjdzl View Post
sounds interesting does this iclicker count for marks?
Depends on the class. They're relatively new, when I was in first year they just had them in physics and math 1LS3. In physics, they count for marks, but in math they didn't. I think they've added iClickers to chem, but I'm not sure what other courses now have them and what their policy is about marks.
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:07 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cjdzl View Post
sounds interesting does this iclicker count for marks?
Some courses require iclickers for participation marks. Not all courses require an iclicker.
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:08 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nerual View Post
Depends on the class. They're relatively new, when I was in first year they just had them in physics and math 1LS3. In physics, they count for marks, but in math they didn't. I think they've added iClickers to chem, but I'm not sure what other courses now have them and what their policy is about marks.
How are you typing so fast lol

I believe first year chem requires them now
I know I've used an iclicker for physics 1L03 and 1B03 and astronomy 1F03
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:09 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ace0fSpades View Post
Some courses require iclickers for participation marks. Not all courses require an iclicker.
Yeah, there's a difference between participation marks and actual marks. Sometimes it doesn't matter what answer you put, as long as you put an answer (to show that you're in class and participating) and sometimes you actually need to get it right to get the marks.
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:10 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ace0fSpades View Post
How are you typing so fast lol
haha Roderick I have ninja skills!
Old 08-05-2010 at 03:15 PM   #15
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In addition to the things suggested I also recommend you get a clipboard. You can purchase a McMaster one at Titles which is pretty expensive or just pick up a cheap one at Walmart. You can also get one free if your in res (or is it socs?) I think.

I would just carry the clipboard around with blank sheets and any slides/assignments that I needed each day. When I got home I would take out the notes I made that day and transfer them to 3-ring binders.
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