Comments on: Managing collegiate paperwork

By: Penelope

Penelope — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:21:45 +0000

I managed to figure out the college organization thing (one of those folder/binder things for loose papers, and a spiral notebook for each class–I rarely had instructors who gave handouts) fine, but now I’m a teacher. Teachers have about 100x as much to keep organized as students? Any recommendations for keeping grade sheets, attendance records, seating charts, textbook records and graded/ungraded work organized AND portable? I seem to be able to do one or the other, but not both.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:39:52 +0000

Yet another Scansnap owner here, using it on a Powerbook. Although it was expensive, I really wish I got it years ago. I’ve scanned 3,600 pages (it has a counter built in) and never looked the other way. Just remember to be responsible and recycle those papers when you are done.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:20:31 +0000

@catherine–According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “burglarized” is the appropriate past tense verb form for Erin’s sentence. (See the entry for the verb “burglarize.”)

By: catherine

catherine — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:56:56 +0000

“If you’re ever burglarized”? – No, no, no, no, no! The verb is “to burgle” so your sentence should read “if you’re ever burgled”.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 11:13:36 +0000

I’m another Scansnap owner. I thought it was expensive too … and so I killed the scanners on 3 successivve print/scan/copy/fax devices … by simply using them regularly.

But that won’t happen with the Scansnap; it’s very solid and well built. Pictures make it look larger than it is; folded up it is the size of a football. And it does a much better and faster job of scanning than any all-in-one I have ever seen.

I wish I had bought the ScanSnap *first*. I would have saved a fair amount of money and aggravation. Awesome device. Like all quality things, it costs more – and if you use it much, that will save you money in the long run!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:53:51 +0000

I have read that the Plustek Opticbook 3600 is good for scanning books without removing the pages. http://www.plustek.com/product/book3600.asp

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:05:14 +0000

That ScanSnap would be great for me and my cookbook collection, if it didn’t entail ripping the pages out. Anyone know of anything that’d be as fast, or at least an inexpensive pen scanner?

By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:02:53 +0000

Do you have any advice for students who are heavily involved with extracurriculars and/or work with a lot of take-home material for both?

I followed the last post on organizing the dorm room and then this one and I feel like I’ve been doing quite a few things already – making right-now decisions on papers (and not keeping things for old times’ sake), sorting laundry, using underbed storage. I suppose my intention is to encourage Unclutterer to post more about college! I understand that many readers are removed to some extent from their college years but for those of us in small spaces…it’s fantastic information.

By: PJ Doland

PJ Doland — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:27:38 +0000

I’m a happy Fujitsu ScanSnap owner. But I would be hard-pressed to recommend one to a college student. It seems a little like overkill.

They might, however, be a good tool for students in academic programs that require a large amount of printed hand-outs. Especially when you take into account the searchable nature of PDFs once you run text-capture on them.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:58:11 +0000

Fujitsu Scansnap looks great, but it’s very expensive. How are college students supposed to afford this? Or those in the corporate world without unlimited budgets? We need something cheap!

By: Michele Lessirard

Michele Lessirard — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:12:51 +0000

I put together my own binder for our daughter in June, simular to this.

Florida college students have a mandatory summer session here in Florida. Freshman are opting to start in summer, so this post would have been great in May while I was getting dear daughter ready.

Great information.

By: Robin

Robin — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:07:27 +0000

That’s funny- I’ve been using JW’s exact method, right down to the plastic page protectors for syllabi, for the three years I’ve been in college and a few high school years as well. One big binder is great, because then I know I have all my class information with me.

By: John Ratcliffe-Lee

John Ratcliffe-Lee — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:52:42 +0000

Great advice. I kept all my papers, school-related & personal in a portable file keeper. Although, since things are becoming increasingly digital while I was still in school I figured out a great way to utilize Campfire to keep track of all your notes. Theoretically this same system could be applied to Google Notebook or Docs but Campfire is no slouch: http://jratlee.newsvine.com/_news/2006/04/25/165058-campfire-getting-things-done

By: Ericka

Ericka — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 17:36:06 +0000

If you have access to a scanner I’d suggest scanning completed course materials if it’s on the fence between keeping or throwing it out.

Maybe this contributes to digital clutter, but it reduces anxiety, and moving boxes.

By: JW

JW — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:28:59 +0000

I suggest a single 2-3″ D-ring binder for all classes. Put each syllabus in a tabbed sheet protector, and you have an automatically divided section for notes/handouts/etc. for each class, which you can cull after each semester. Throw in looseleaf or a single notebook for your notes (to be sorted to the correct section after every class). That way, you have less junk to haul around (one binder, not 4-6), never lose track of assignments, never forget or pick up the wrong binder, and wherever you are, you’ve got your basics with you. This and a simple week-by-week calendar have gotten me through many years as a student from HS through college–and I’m at the end of degree #3.

By: Holly

Holly — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:26:24 +0000

too bad this thing has “CollegeCase” emblazoned on it. sehr häßlich.

By: st

st — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:41:52 +0000

two words. fujitsu scansnap.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:23:06 +0000

I used a hard, 1 1/2 inch, three ring binder for each class. Then I had paper to take notes in the rings and handouts in the pockets in the front and back. This worked out great for the last three years of college, even if it was a bit bulky.

Having just read Getting Things Done, I highly recommend using that to help keep things under control.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:20:59 +0000

Hmm… I just landed my first post-college job and I never kept a single syllabus, nor was I asked about one in an interview. It’s good advice, though – just not necessarily universal.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:16:25 +0000

Why not do an article next on how to stay organized in the corporate world? Most of us who have moved beyond college also want to get organized, but it is hard to find good solutions to keeping your work life on track.