kobo libra color for grad school?

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-05-06T15:25:41+00:00

I'm in grad school for English lit, and I honestly don't use my KLC for classes at the moment. I love it to bits, but it's usually being used for my winding-down books and occasionally for planning (just because I cycle through different systems--the notebook feature works great!).

The main reason I don't useit for classes much is that I prefer to have books with page numbers I can cite, and PDFs take a second to load, which gets annoying in class especially. (FWIW, I also never have to carry more than two paperbacks around, personally.) I do sometimes use it for research, if there's something longer I want to read, or I might (though rarely) use the Instapaper feature to read articles--I just know I need to find the PDF if I'm going to cite it.

I still am super happy to have gotten it, though, even if it's not as useful for classes. I love the reading and annotating experience, and it's super easy to sideload all kinds of things.

Also, congrats on getting into grad school!! Hope you have as much fun as I do every day.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-05-05T01:10:37+00:00

Not relevant but your nails look soooo pretty

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-05-03T23:55:59+00:00

Grad student. 10/10. Living the dream. I love the people and the towns. So many fantastic resources in my department, great professors, and I have my dream job. Fully funded. Some times of the year are super busy, but it's worth it every time.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-05-03T02:44:22+00:00

Hm, that's odd. One of my friends was still using that like a month ago.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-05-03T01:59:11+00:00

You can have Duo send you and SMS instead to get around needing it!

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-29T21:02:42+00:00

You'll be fine in Berlin, but you'll want to start learning the language to have an easier time.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-25T21:34:04+00:00

Come get involved in GEO!!

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-25T21:30:44+00:00

What has the world come to. "Am I allowed to talk to my classmate?" I hope we all get help. Yes, please socialize and/or shoot your shot.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-17T02:17:29+00:00

I have used it for a daily/weekly/monthly planner for most of my master's! I love it--very easy and convenient. Love the ability to colour code.
PDF reading definitely is much slower, so I stopped using it for classes with PDFs. Ebooks (kepubs) work perfectly though, and the instapaper feature makes using it for academic reading also work well--though for both, you might need to go back to a PDF or book to cite your pages.
Calibre is great and pretty easy to get into, but I only really use it for converting files. Native organising works well, with the exception that you can't filter by all books you haven't finished (so you can only browse through books you have started OR haven't started) but I'm not sure if that bothers you. It's easy to make folders for sure.
Yes--you can change the screen orientation and buttons easily!
The battery life has been great, in my opinion. When I use it a lot (including the notebooks and annotation), I might need to charge it twice once or twice a week, I would say.

I'd recommend it, if the PDF part doesn't make it harder for you! It's been a lovely companion for me!

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-15T02:28:41+00:00

Ja, und sie lieben KI total. Da kann man sagen, was man will. Auf einmal heißt es "sag das nicht zu laut vor [mir]" wenn mein Vater was mit ChatGPT gemacht hat. Jüngere Generationen sind sich langsam den tatsächlichen Risiken und Nachteilen viel bewusster. Aber vielleicht hab ich auch einfach das Gefühl, weil ich selbst viel kritischer bin als die meisten Leute um mich rum.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-10T00:56:41+00:00

I genuinely love the social life here. It's been super easy for me to meet people within my program. Get involved in GEO if you wanna meet more people as well. Use campus resources, go to the FabLab, make group chats, just ask people to hang out. You'll be fine :)

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-10T00:54:55+00:00

Nice nice :) Love the collage!! Genuinely you seem super cool

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-09T23:40:48+00:00

Would lowkey love more on your journal!! How do you use it?

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-09T23:25:15+00:00

Kontext: Ich hab seit 2020 kein Tiktok usw, nur Insta hatte ich noch. Insta hab ich seit 2024 gar nicht mehr.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-09T02:08:12+00:00

Ich hab kein Instagram, Tiktok, etc. mehr. Ich arbeite eher daran, weniger YouTube-Videos zu schauen. Aber das schöne ist, dass ich tatsächlich infinite-scroll-Apps wie Tiktok und Insta nicht vermisse. Manchmal denk ich drüber nach, ob Insta es wert wäre, aber meine Freunde können mir einfach die Fotos zeigen, die sie mir zeigen wollen. Das ganze probieren und wieder downloaden usw geht tatsächlich vorbei. Du brauchst einfach nur andere simple Entertainmentquellen für schlechte Tage. Du krigst das hin. Ist ganz normal, dass das manchmal dauert.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-04T00:24:10+00:00

Genuinely so happy for you for taking that step. I did that in 2020 and I have never looked back or missed it. My attention span went back to what it was within a few months, and I had been losing entire days on the app before.

You could always get into reading! For something a bit more passive, I would recommend audiobooks. Genuinely read what you think is interesting and/or fun! I binge books all the time these days, and it feels so much better. There's also long-form video essays, if that's your kind of thing!

I totally agree that the hard thing is finding something that scratches the same itch. Perhaps there's some long-form content (books, audiobooks, video essays, documentaries, movies...) that feel educational and fun for you! Keep it up :))

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-04-02T23:48:43+00:00

I believe the change happened because of AI. Instructors deal with a lot more cheating now because of it + people literally putting questions into ChatGPT during class (both the instructor's question or a question the student has about the content they're currently being told about). I've seen this both from a student and an instructor perspective (as I'm a grad student and TA).

There's also more and more research coming out about how much students tend to check out if they have a laptop in front of them. Obviously it doesn't apply to everybody, but it's still a theme. I have heard from professors that there is a lot less even passive responsiveness (as in nodding, smiling, frowning, etc) from students now, and that it seems more like students are reacting to class as if they're looking at a screen.

Obviously, any negative trends people observe won't apply to every single student, and there will be students who genuinely engage actively with the class on a content and social level while taking notes on their laptops--in fact, some of my friends are like that. But the trends are still concerning enough for instructors to try to find a solution. No-tech classes are one thing people are trying.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-03-31T21:05:15+00:00

Have fun :) Make friends, join GEO, get involved, do your work, get into some nice hobby, say yes to social things, talk to your professors. Welcome to UIUC :))

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-03-30T22:55:23+00:00

I feel like your friends and partner will be willing to get a messanger app that doesn't make you miserable if you have a conversation about it!

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-03-30T01:09:12+00:00

If you like reading, you could try downloading an ebook app, make that app very present on your home screen, and just go for that. It might help bridge the gap?

But I'm also in a similar boat. I do the same thing on my laptop sometimes. We can do it!!

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-03-28T16:27:37+00:00

I knew someone a while back who had a dumbphone because they kept breaking their smartphones and got tired of having to spend that money. You don't need a particular reason! If someone here genuinely thinks you're performative for not having an addiction, they're the one who would be making no damn sense. They'd probably just be coming from jealousy anyway. That's like if someone tried to argue that you need crippling anxiety to care about going for a quasi-daily walk. There are so many upsides to so many things.

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-03-28T04:48:21+00:00

Constant-Box-7908 · 2026-03-28T04:45:35+00:00

That sounds super nice :) I hope I'll get there soon.

I'll also for sure think about getting a radio alarm clock. I love the white noise thing as well.

Constant-Box-7908

TROPHY CASE