One Binder or Many?

I just finished my freshman year in a program like yours where the prereqs only take up the first year. I used a separate notebook and folder for each class, except in classes with few handouts, and for those, I shared folders...so pretty much the same thing I've done since middle school!

I personally hate binders (which I know I'll have to get over for NS), and that's why.

Basically, do whatever you're most comfortable with.

Dorm stuff:

* Plates, cups, mugs, silverware

* Surge protector (mostly so you can plug more stuff in)

* Fridge

* Microwave

* Whiteboard x2 (so you can have 1 on the outside of your door, and 1 somewhere inside your room)

* More hangars than you think you need

* Bins to put stuff in

* Meds (cold, nausea, etc)

Umm...basically anything you use at home, you'll want to bring to your dorm!

I used one binder for all except for Anatomy and Physiology. The instructors printed out a rather thick study guide that I stuck in a medium 2" binder with some lined paper. I wrote notes on the study guide and the lined paper.

I've always used a seperate binder for each class. My anatomy class and my physiology class I've always gotten a huge binder for because my professors like lots of handouts. For all my other classes I usually just get a half inch or one inch binder. But I'm a neat freak and have to have my school stuff organized, I've know people who have just gotten a 2 inch binder for all their classes and it works perfectly for them so its all personal preference.

I'm a very organized person and I think that the one binder for everything would drive me nuts - but I can just imagine falling over carrying 3 binders/books plus a laptop.

I must just have to do some experiments and see what works best.

Thanks very much!

It depended on the class. For science I always had a separate binder. You should probably wait until you have your first day. Maybe for some of your classes all you will need is paper to take notes.

If you do use one for all the classes definitely have it really divided up so it's super organized. That's what I'm going do for the first time in a very long time because even though I've always used seperate notebooks I've never needed that much space.

I use one medium/big binder, and if a class produces an large amount of notes/handouts (i.e. A&P or any of my upper division history classes from my first degree) I'll keep the ones already covered and tested on in a separate binder at home. If you're studying for Exam 3, well into the semester, there's no need to have your Exam 1 and Exam 2 notes with you usually... and at the end of the semester, when I study for finals, I typically only study for one or two on any given day, so I can just take the one or two smaller complete-semester binders with me then.

Get a good set of binder dividers, sturdy plastic with a good numbers of tabs (not just 3-4, cause that's a joke), with removable/changeable tab labels, so they'll last several semesters. And don't be afraid to give one class several tabs if need be. Often I'll give one class a notes tab and an assignments tab, and sometimes they get a third for handouts or a big project/paper.

That way, on a regular day, I only have to grab one binder for class... if my binder's in my backpack, it's the right one and everything I'll need for class that day will be in it. I can't handle juggling 4-5 binders all semester long, that's an absolute recipe for disaster with my usual last-minute preparation for anything.

THEN after the semester is over, I save whatever I need to keep in either 1/2" individual binders (for the rare class like A&P where I wanted to keep every single note I took) or in regular folders (for classes with small amounts of notes & handouts worth keeping)... and I always keep every paper I write or big assignment that's easy to keep in a binder dedicated to syllabi (ALWAYS KEEP THEM) and significant schoolwork.

It sounds like I help keep Office Max in business, but it's not really that complex... basically, I have one big binder and multiple 1" binders that get reused every semester, a 2" one for syllabi and assignments from past semesters, and rarely have to pick up another 1/2" one for archival notes.