Have you ever been in the middle of writing something in class and suddenly you're freakin pen decides "hey, I'm gonna dry up and not work", or "hey, I'm gonna hit puberty and drop my ball". In any case, I despise those pens that up and fail in the clintch. usually this happens right when the professor is saying something that you obviously can't memorize instantly, and will obviously be on the test. Now yea, some people have the luxury of bringing a laptop to class with them at all times, but some of us who are "old school" prefer to use the mysterious tool knowns as a pen and we stick to our haunches when it comes to this.

So, what pens suck and what pens rule? Well, here's my thoroughly researched thesis...

A Study of the Suckiness and Superiority of Ink Based Writing Instruments

by The King

Pens that suck tend to include those 10 cent giveaway pens that health services, along with every other department on campus, throws at you in an attempt to imprint the fact that "they are here for you whenever you need them" (even though they close at 4:30 and we all know that the average college student doesn't roll out of bed until 11, and doesn't finish classes until 5...but that rant is for another day). Other pen rejects include traditional throw away bic knock-offs, gel rollers, and those refillable cartridge pen sets that have a suggested retail value of $85 but your parents got for you at Office Max for $9, thinking it was a steal. (I'm not a snobby businessman Mom...k?)

Pens that have proven otherwise, and in some cases surprisingly so, include other giveaway pens. On the MCLA campus I have found great enjoyment in using the pens that the Admissions Office gives away. They are the thicker, uniball or uniball grip pens and I have yet to have a completely negative experience with them. Other favorites include your boring looking black, micro, uniball pens...(not gel pens), and the common but highly suggested uniball vision (where you can actually watch your ink supply go down...and it lasts a while too!

So...in conclusion...try to get the good giveaway pens...cuz god knows none of us have the money to blow on a $17 box of uniball vision.