The Centered Student Planner Review | 2021-2022
Looking to organize your academic life in 2021? This college student weekly planner will help you succeed!
⚠️ Heads up – this review is old and outdated! See our review of the new 2023-2024 Centered Student Planner for the most up-to-date info and details.
From providing entertainment to facilitating communication, increasing productivity and all around making life easier, the influence of technology on modern living certainly has its benefits. And with over 3 million apps on the Apple App Store alone, there’s seems to be an app for, well, everything!
I love using apps as much as the next person, but when it comes to managing my time and planning my days?
I don’t rely on my phone to keep track of my schedule; I’m way too susceptible to distraction. I need fewer distractions – not more! That’s one reason why I’ve been using a paper planner for years.
Through much trial and error I’ve come to the same conclusion time and again: writing things down by hand is what works best for me. So in the paper vs digital planner debate you know where I stand.
But like apps, saying there’s a lot to choose from is an understatement…
Let’s say you want to find the best weekly planner for college students. Even if you narrow to just academic planners, the selection of colors, shapes, sizes, and features is still completely overwhelming.
Basically:
Throwing a dart at your computer screen blindfolded holds more appeal than attempting to sort through that rat’s nest of sensory overload on your own.
That probably doesn’t sound like a bad idea to a risk-taker like yourself. However, it is kind of an expensive way to live. And unfortunately, most (all??) college students don’t have an expansive budget for that type of thing. Not yet at least.
Aspire to be the proud owner of excessive discretionary money one day soon, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at a weekly college planner that cuts through all the noise.
Today’s post is a review of The Centered Student Planner. I’m going to take you on a tour of what it has offer and share my honest thoughts.
Centered Student Planner Review
If you struggle with getting into the habit of using a planner or feel like you could use some guidance on how to plan your week in college, then this is a TERRIFIC fit for you.
The Centered Student Planner utilizes a one-two combo of visual learning and positive psychology to provide usefulness far beyond your run-of-the-mill academic planner.
Moreover, it’s the only planner that comes with its own professor.
I’ll explain…
Thoughtfully created and designed by Professor Ginny Horan, this planner provides students extra support in the form of video tutorials on time management and college success techniques.
As a seasoned veteran of the academic world, she understands that each student has their own strengths and weaknesses. So instead of flooding you with information, it’s on the sidelines available and ready when you need it.
I can almost hear you thinking…
How do you watch these videos with college tips?
Accessing the video content couldn’t be simpler! All you have to do is grab your phone, scan a QR code, and start watching with just a few clicks.
Last year’s edition had a unique QR code to go with each set of weekly planning pages.
But in the 2021-2022 edition the QR codes have moved. There’s now just one QR code to access all the videos.
Accompanied with a few other small tweaks, there’s now MORE space on the page for writing.
The current weekly view looks like this:
As you can see, The Centered Student planner takes an approach that utilizes a two-page spread. Each day has hourly slots starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. (aka prime time for college kids).
Why is a weekly layout like this so effective?
Not only does it help you stay on top of your schedule, but a horizontal system also makes it easy to identify where you have downtime. Taking advantage of interludes between classes and other obligations is the first step to managing your time wisely.
And on top of that…
The week-at-a-glance includes 6 key areas:
- A college tip (which is expanded upon in the short video for the corresponding week)
- Your focus for the week
- Notes – put whatever you want (like important reminders) here!
- What worked this week
- What to do next week
- I’m grateful for…
And if you need more room to write your thoughts, worry not!
At the end of the planner you’ll find some spare dotted pages to use for any notes you might want to jot down.
Further:
The new & improved version took into account feedback from real students and integrated a couple of additional features.
This year’s Centered Student Planner includes monthly pages (handy for visualizing the big picture) and a dedicated section of to-do lists.
Best of all:
The to-do lists perforated – total GAME CHANGER. Tear out with ease, take ’em to go, and use however you need.
And to top it all off…
Each planner comes with custom stickers designed for students.
How cool is that?
Pretty dang cool if you ask me.
I use stickers as a kind of “fail-safe” in my own planner. The pop of color stands out so I’m extra sure the really important things don’t slip through the cracks.
VIDEO: Academic Planner Flip Through
The video above shows all the planner details we covered in this post. It’s a cover-to-cover flip though to give you a better idea of the full effect!
Recap
Overall, the new Centered Student Planner packs an abundance of value into an easy-to-carry, yet premium-feeling package. Rather than throw everything but the kitchen sink at you and hope something works, every feature in this planner is intentional and purpose-driven.
The easily-digestible online interface bridges crucial knowledge gaps that make or break students success with time management. And all the research-backed details help you build healthy habits and life skills. Which leads to increased self-awareness, decreased stress levels, and greater overall happiness during your college years.
For all of these reasons I’d say it’s really much more than a planner. It’s a honed-in time management system that works.
All in all:
As someone who’s reviewed many academic planners over the years, I can confidently say this is one of the best planners for college students on the market right now.
✅ Grab your own Centered Student Planner for the 2021-2022 academic year here.
For those interested in the product specifications – check out the nitty-gritty details below.
Specs overview:
- navy or pink vegan leather binding
- 7″ x 9″ (B5)
- 160 pages, 12 months (Aug. – July)
- Scannable QR codes with college success tips and tutorials
- soft white paper – 100 GSM
- ribbon bookmark, elastic closure, and pocket in back cover
- stickers included
Wrapping up with this college weekly planner
I hope this Centered Student Planner review helps you decide which weekly academic planner is right for you!
Wanna compare it to other planners? Check out my top picks for best student planners for college success.
Related:
- Review of the 2022-2023 Centered Student Planner
- ClassTracker Ultimate Student Planner Review
- The Ultimate College Packing List: Exactly What to Bring to College (Free Checklist)
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About Charlie
Charlie is the co-founder of College Life Made Easy and author of the book 175+ Things to Do Before You Graduate College. She’s a 2015 graduate who teaches overwhelmed students and parents of students how to confidently navigate the whole college thing. As a former broke college kid, she’s passionate about helping students develop the skills they need in order to thrive (instead of just survive), stress less, and actually enjoy the full college experience.