Back to School: Backpack Essentials

As I prepare to head off to my first year of college, I have done what probably would seem to be an ridiculous amount of research on what I will need to bring with me. Most importantly, I wanted to know what all the essentials to have in your backpack include. Here are the items I plan to carry with me at all times and that I found to be most important!

Let's start off with the bag. This adorable backpack show above is from, none other than, Target! They've had some really cute backpacks for the back to school season and when I saw this one I couldn't pass it up. I also have another plain black backpack that is a bit more heavy duty than this one, but I hope to use this cute patterned bag as much as I can without it clashing with any of my outfits!

School supplies is obviously a necessity. My favorite items are Five Star notebooks and folders. I also carry with me a variety of pens and pencils to take notes and study with. Highlighters are also important study aids that can help to liven up your notes. One thing I never thought of until doing a bit of looking into what school supplies to bring was a mini stapler. When you have something to turn in during a college class, your professor with most likely not pass the one class stapler around the desk like I experienced in high school. Having your own mini stapler can be a life saver in case you had to print something out last minute and totally forgot to staple it before throwing it in your bag. 

For technology, I definitely recommend bring some type of laptop or tablet. Even if you can't use in during some of your lectures it will most definitely come in handy in between classes if you need to get work done. It also is important, just from being a college student, to have access to the internet through a device other than your phone at times so bring your laptop around can be crucial. Now, I have the 15" Macbook Pro laptop, which I love. But I don't really love its weight. The five pounds that it adds to my backpack doesn't seem like a lot but after basically hiking through campus all day it can take a toll on your body. I prefer to bring with my iPad air with me and I have the Logitech keyboard cover which turns it into the perfect mini-laptop. Saves me a bunch of weight and hassle! Don't forget to also bring a case for your electronics. I love this Herschel one because it matches my laptop case.

Other important items include a spare phone charger and laptop/tablet charger, because those are two things you wouldn't want to die on you in the middle of the day. I also recommend headphones because walking from class to class all day can get a little mundane. Whether it just be little earbuds or a full blown headphone set they can be a life saver and a great pick me up for when you are walking around campus. 

Lastly, some important personal items. Keeping an agenda is vital to staying on top of all your school work and extracurricular activities. You may find staying up to date with a planner can be monotonous but in the end having everything written down can be extremely helpful. A small wallet is also a must have and downsizing to a wristlet of keychain wallet can be a great way to save space in any of your school bags. I don't like to keep an entire makeup bag with me but carrying just a few essentials always seems to come in handy. Items such as mascara, lipgloss, concealer, bobby pins, hair ties, and clips for sure come in handy when in a pinch. Sunglasses also are important since you'll be walking outside most of the day, and if your ever in a hurry or don't want to be interrupted, stick your sunnies on and pull out those headphones and walk with a purpose!

I hope you guys found this post helpful on what to bring in your college, or even high school, backpack. Let me know what some of your essentials are and if there is anything I forgot. I will definitely update you guys on what I found most helpful after settling in to my life as a college student. Ten more days to go and I couldn't be more excited!

xx Meghan