Going to college or university can be an overwhelming experience. You're in a new environment, on your own and having to figure everything out for yourself. Not to mention, the classes, assignments and exams on top of that.
This makes it all the more important to create structure for yourself so you can do your best work at college. And here at Puffin Pages Co, we think the best way to do that is to have a planner (of course!). But not just any planner - a planner that has been thoughtfully created and customised to fit your unique needs as a college student.
If you're new to building a planner, you can start by thinking about the things that you need to keep track of - whether that's your schedule, events, notes or assignments and exams. Then, think about the planning style that best fits your lifestyle such as digital or paper planning. You might like to use a paper-based planner but using an iPad or tablet might suit your busy schedule and commute better.
Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start thinking about the pages or templates you should add to your planner.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Academic Dates Tracker
This Academic Dates Tracker can help you keep track of important dates such as deadlines and exam dates. You can also use it for making a note of events, whether it's academic, professional or social.
This tracker comes in three layout options; 10, 12 or 15-week spread so you can choose the one that works best for your college or university.
Assignment Tracker
This Assignment Tracker lets you have a dedicated space in your planner to write all of your assignments along with their due dates and the grades you received. You can organise them by subject or arrange them chronologically. This helps you keep track of your progress and make sure that nothing falls through the cracks.
If your college course is more exam-based, you can also consider adding this Exam Tracker to your planner.
Study Session Planner
If you have ever sat down to study and then a few hours later still feel like you haven't done anything, then this Study Session Planner is for you.
Using this planner, you can organise your tasks according to different topics or subject areas. Some example of tasks could be reading a chapter of a book, completing a problem set or reviewing lecture notes. In the comments column, you can review your accomplishments for that session or add any follow-up tasks for your next study session. This not only helps you plan, but also helps you record your progress.
Daily Planner
Daily planners are the best way of managing your time and staying organised on a day-to-day basis. Here at Puffin Pages Co, we have over 10 different daily planner layouts to suit different needs and lifestyle.
We highly recommend the Daily Planner No. 11 for college students. It has the classic, structured layout which features a half-hourly schedule, priorities and to-do lists as well as a notes section.
Notes Pages
Notes pages are an essential in ANY planner as it offers plenty of versatility. You use them for checklists, brainstorming, project planning and of course - notes!
The Puffin Pages Co Basic Notes Bundle includes three layouts; lined, square grid and dot-grid. You can use all three or choose the one that best fits your writing and planning style.
Final comments
We hope this post has given you some ideas of what to add to your student planner!
You can check out the full range of our printable Academic Planners here. You can also browse our Work and Productivity section for more ideas and inspiration.
If you've decided to go digital instead of paper, you can always export any of our inserts into note-taking apps such as GoodNotes and Noteshelf (tip: use the PDF file without crop marks).