COLLEGE ESSENTIALS: FOR YOUR BACKPACK.
College is way different than high school. If you haven't heard that already, then sorry, but it is. But that isn't a bad thing! College is an exciting time full of new challenges, friends, opportunities, & experiences. It's a way for you to grow as an individual, but also a time to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. To do this, you go to classes (obviously) & to go to classes, you need essentials for classes. Normally, that means keeping stuff in a backpack. So today, I will show you what supplies I need in my backpack to have a successful day of classes!
*NOTE: Some of these may be extremely obvious, but I'm putting them in here anyways:)
1. 5- SUBJECT NOTEBOOKS
I've been using the 5-subject notebook since high school. The reason why I like these so much is because you don't have to keep up with so many different notebooks; they're all in the same place! A lot of times, these will also have pockets that separate the subjects, so I use these to put any handouts my professors will give me in.
2. NOTE TAKING INSTRUMENTS
Okay, I know this one may seem EXTREMELY obvious, but hear me out:
PENS- You need to find YOUR pens in college. For example, I'm left handed, so a lot of pens will smudge on me. The only ones that don't are the basic BIC pens, so I'll buy a pack of those at the beginning of the semester & they'll last me the entire semester. I also use the Pilot Precise V5 pens for my work at the house a lot (they smudge if I'm not careful though since I'm left handed!).
PENCILS- I used to use the wooden pencils in high school some, but news flash: NO ONE uses them in college. There aren't even sharpeners anywhere so you can use them. I also used use the "cutesy" Papermate mechanical pencils, but that's just an unneeded cost in my mind now, so my advice is to just save yourself the money & buy a big pack of cheap mechanical pencils:)
HIGHLIGHTERS- I never used highlighters much in high school, but I started to find them very useful once I started my college classes! I use a pack of 6 pastel highlighters that I literally found for $0.98 at Walmart, so you don't have to go expensive with these!
3. PLANNER
In high school, I always tried to use a planner, but failed miserably. Once I started college, however, I got so much busier than I was in high school (and I stayed busy in high school!). Having a planner helps me not only keep my class assignments in line, but it also helps me keep up with my organizations, work, birthdays, & events! The planner I am picturing below is the one I'm using for the 2018-2019 school year by ban.do & I love it!
4. A STURDY BACKPACK
I cannot stress this enough: having a sturdy backpack is SO HELPFUL. You will have so many things to carry in your bag that will put pressure on it to wear down, so investing in a sturdy backpack is key for college. I've had this Jansport (pictured below) since my freshman year of high school & it's still in perfect condition. I got it monogrammed as well, so it's really cute!
5. LAPTOP
A laptop is literally such a huge investment when it comes to college supplies, I get it. But having a laptop is key when it comes to doing assignments! I have a MacBook Pro, which is what a lot of people have for my major (Music Business). I was told that most of the things we will be doing in classes for my major would work easiest with a MacBook of some kind, but my best advice would be to just call your department before purchasing one to make sure that brand would work okay for your major!
6. UMBRELLA
One big change from high school to college is that you have to walk to different buildings for your classes, some of which may be all the way across from each other & on the days when it rains, you're going to want an umbrella! Last year, I just found a cute one at Walmart for around $10. You can obviously find them other places, but just make sure you find one that's small enough to keep in your backpack!
7. SPRAY-ON DEODORANT
Let's be honest: we all have those days where we have to think about whether or not we put deodorant on or not. I always keep some in my backpack just in case this ever happens! Recently, my aunt told me about how much she loved this Dove spray-on deodorant, so I'm going to start keeping this in my backpack instead of the stick because this kind can't melt!
8. PORTABLE CHARGER Yes, keeping a charger on you at all times is crucial, especially if the school wifi sucks up your battery power really fast. But having a great portable charger is LIFE CHANGING. Lots of classrooms don't have a ton of plugs for you to use your regular phone charger, so I use this to charge my phone during class! I got this one from Walmart for less than $10 after my mom told me about it & how much she loved it. The best part? It holds FOUR charges!
I hope this list helped you with things you may want to get for classes, whether this is your first year of college or fourth!
What are your class essentials? Leave a comment below!
-GC