Yes, the end of summer is once again creeping up on us, and that means the school year will begin soon. To some people, this is the dreaded time of year, when you have to think about classes and textbooks and lecture halls or classrooms. Other people, like myself, try to ignore the dreadful things about school and instead get super excited about school supplies!

Maybe it is only me, but I'm sure there are much more people out there who get as jumpy as I do when you walk into a Staples and are immediately confronted with a giant shelf full of post-it notes of every size, shape, and color of the rainbow. Then, as you turn to the right, there are rows of pens and sharpies that seem to dare you to use them all. I don't know about you, but I love to make my school notes colorful, and I try to write in a different color each day if just to keep myself entertained. Yes, even the light green one.

I have always preferred the spiral-bound notebooks over the composition notebooks with the solid binding. This way, you can rip out a sheet whenever you need a loose-leaf paper (always tear off the rough edges,) and when you flip the page, the left one doesn't lift up awkwardly like it does in the composition book kind. Now, always plan ahead with your notebooks. I have found that even if I am going to take notes on my laptop in class, I want a notebook with real paper to work out problems or copy down notes to help me study. The act of writing the information creates a better connection in your brain, and colored pens make everything enjoyable. I say plan ahead, because, in the back-to-school season, these lovely ruled notebooks are only $2 at Staples, so I got four of them for $8. Everything at your college bookstore is going to be way overpriced using my own experience as an example, those same four notebooks cost $30 at my school bookstore. If that sounds dumb, that's because it is.

Another item that can be found in the treasure trove of Staples is colored pencils. They can range from the simple 8-pack with just the bare essentials, all the way to the coveted 50-pack which, I'm told, has the power to turn any sad study session into a party. Of course, to have a coloring party, you will need some funky and cool coloring books. Lucky for you, Staples carries those too! You can settle down with some psychedelic swirls or shade in the block letters of an inspirational phrase that just might make you believe that organic chemistry will not be the end of you after all.

There are so many other things that are great about shopping for school supplies. Of course, to go with your brand-new sticky notes you will need a cute sticky note dispenser that looks like an apple, and you definitely need that golden stapler that will bind multiple papers together with just a slight touch. Regardless of all the cute desk supplies though, it is generally understood that you will be doing school work with these supplies. I know, what a downer, but this is the reality that hits as you leave the magical Staples store. And who knows? Maybe the colorful supplies will make homework a little more fun.