XO Planners Academic Edition: A Unique Planner for Unique Students

Most academic planners call themselves “academic” simply because they follow an academic calendar and not because the features they have inside are truly geared to students. The Academic Edition by XO Planners, however, is truly geared to students and their needs. Due to this, it has some different features and a very different organizational system.

If you’re a student looking for a planner that has you in mind every step of the way, then this one needs to be at the top of your list.

Envision it and You Shall Get It

First off, there aren’t traditional goal-setting pages in this planner. Students all typically have the same goals: Get good grades, keep their scholarship, get internships, and don’t overdraft the bank account. XO Planners has replaced the goal-setting page in their Daily Edition with a Bucket List and a Vision Board.

These two pages help balance students out. On the Bucket List, of course students write the things they want to do and experience—you know, the fun stuff. And the Vision Board is where they can envision themselves with the future they want. Everything from good study habits, healthy eating habits, impressive internships, and flawless juggling of all the demands of college life can be doodled and jotted down on the Vision Board.

I remember how much my success in college was based off of my ability to focus on the end goal. I typically aimed for this by writing out my goals and placing them on the wall across from my bed so I could see them before going to sleep and when I woke up. I also wrote them down in my planner so they’d be with me on campus. From my own experience, I can see just how valuable this space is in XO’s Academic planner.

A Place for Your Semester Schedules

XO’s Academic Edition comes with a designated schedule page. There’s a chart for both fall and spring semesters where you can write down what classes are at what time each day. This serves as a handy reference tool for students to check when making plans, applying for part-time jobs, and generally looking at how their classes are spread out during the week.

The semester schedules are followed by a page for Important Information. This might seem like a waste at first, but it’s actually a great space for students to use. Professors often have varying office hours, schools typically have special events on certain days each week, and administrative office phone numbers are frequently hard to find. You can write all of that information down on the Important Information page where it’s easy for you to find when trekking across campus or when the campus WiFi crashes (because it always does when you need it most).

What Kind of Layout is it?

Opening this planner, I had a total deja vu flashback to that Superman episode where the little humans are all like, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” Except for me it was more, “It’s not a daily. Oh, it’s not a weekly either.” I’ve never seen a planner with a four-day layout until now.

Basically, you have four days spread out over two pages. The first spread is Monday through Thursday, the second spread is Friday through Tuesday (because the weekends are combined), and the third spread is Wednesday through the weekend. It’s kind of like slipping on your first pair of kitten heels when you’re 12. It takes a little wobbling to get used to it, but you adjust pretty quickly.

A four-day layout means each day gets a little bit more space and some actual organization, rather than a blank horizontal space. Each day gets five lines followed by two short columns. These columns are for your to do’s and things you don’t need to forget. Students typically know their class schedules by heart, so writing down the schedule each day isn’t necessary.

What students do need is space to write down assignment due dates as well as test and quiz days. With this layout, you have room for that and to write down the things you need to do that day, be it school work or laundry (or calling your mom).

Let’s Talk Visuals

The Academic Edition comes in two cover options: the IKAT, which is pink and purple, or the Marble, which is black, blue, and white (my personal favorite). Since it has a four-day layout, the Academic planner is much thinner than the daily. It’s even thinner than the popular weekly planners on the market. This makes it very easy to carry in a backpack or to slide into your purse. The planner is spiral-bound with gold protective corners, and comes with a tall pocket on the inside cover (the perfect place to stash receipts, fliers, and campus event tickets).

If you need a planner that’s lighter than most, but has more space per day than typical weekly planners, XO Planners’ Academic Edition just might be the one you’ve been looking for. It doesn’t hurt that it comes in stylish cover options and you can coordinate your class notebooks with the notebooks they also sell. Just sayin’.

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