10 STUDY ITEMS I SWEAR BY

RE: BUZZFEED LIFESTYLE WRITER

1. Dong-A Hexaplus Colored Pens, (Php 197.00 in SM Department Store)

These pens are my saviors! I love taking notes and making outlines of chapters I need to read. The varied bright (!!!) colors really help map out which words or topics are of importance and which ones aren't. These babies make your notes alive and therefore, easier to remember.

2. Index Cards, (probably in most bookstores and department stores)

Whether you're making outlines or flashcards, these babies are your go-to. They're easy to bring, easy to scan, and make for a pretty compact reviewer. I usually buy binder rings at department stores and just punch the corners to bind them together per topic or subject.

3. Cute Binders and Notebooks

This is more of an obsession than an actual study item. I love collecting adorable notebooks, journals and pads. It's an exercise to go to National Bookstore or Fullybooked and NOT leave with another purchase. For note-taking, I like Agatha Ruiz De La Prada's big notebooks. I also prefer the ones with graphing paper (the ones with squares) than the usual ruled ones. They come in different designs and materials, I usually buy it in Fullybooked in Abreeza. They cost around Php 295- Php 500. Pretty costly BUT they're absolutely worth it if you're into jotting down notes and tables. For cheaper yet cute notebooks, you can check out National Bookstore's stationary area. They're releasing pretty cute stuff lately.

4. Highlighters!!

Highlighters are essential when reading thick textbooks and marking important points on your notes. There are a lot of cheap yet cute highlighters in SM and National Bookstore. These highlighters were from SM Department Store in SM Lanang. I think the set cost around Php 75- 100.

5. A Whiteboard and markers

You don't necessarily need a whiteboard, any broad surface for writing and making diagrams would do. I also invested in really great manila paper I found in Gaisano Department Store. The brand was Advance, I think and it was already a roll so it was pretty easy to use and write on. These are great for group study sessions and memorizing in general.

6. Momentum on Chrome

Momentum is this extension in Chrome that makes your homepage personal. It greets you, and alerts you whenever you have something to do. Aside from using a planner, you can input to-do lists and daily tasks in Momentum.

7. My trusty Giving Journal Planners

I can't express how much this planner has helped me the past two years. It helped me keep appointments, deadlines, goals and track daily activities. I love planning and handling my schedule in general had been hectic before using this. I had used Wrangler Planners in the past and they were great, too. However, the difference with The Giving Journal is how it encourages you in every page. The life of a medical student is hard; and finding inspirational quotes and challenges in every weekly page made me look forward to ACTUALLY moving forward.

8. A black, blue and red Dong-A Fine Tech Pens

I prefer Fine-Tech pens than G-tech because they're cheaper and kind of easier to use. G-Tech's are pretty delicate and although nothing beats the smoothness of a G-Tech, Fine-Techs are pretty easy to access and sturdy. I won't cry over dropping a Fine-Tech because :

a. it will probably write again; and

b. if it doesn't, I can just buy another one without having the heartache of losing a pretty pen.

I have nothing against G-techs. They're smooth, amazing and make my penmanship better but I'm a pretty clumsy person and I've long broken my heart over one too many dropped G-Techs. Hehe.

9. Sticky Notes, Washi Tape and other adhesives

Sticky notes are also essential when you want to put footnotes or point out the important topics in your outline. You can buy plain ones from any department store or bookstore but if you want specialized pretty ones, you can always look up sticky notes online. There are a lot of instagrams that have stationery for sale.

10. A lot of e-books and PDFs on my iPad and phone

If you're in the medical field, you're gonna face a lot of heavy books. Most references are old, dusty and heavy books in the library. In our case, we couldn't even borrow some of them. So, being the lazy girl that I am, I looked up references online. I found a lot of digital copies and put them in my iPad. I actually have a lot more books, but I deleted them as soon as I finished the exams. I just have them in the laptop now. However, I just want to emphasize that THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN THE PRINTED WORD, okay?