Ten Essentials to Keep in Your School Bag

My purses and school bags are huge and weigh roughly 900 pounds. My friends always ask me why I feel the need to carry so much stuff with me and what is actually in my bag? And while I feel like everything I carry with me is of the utmost importance, there are some things that every collegiette™ needs to carry in their daily school bag.  Well, here’s a quick rundown of what I think are schoolbag essentials!  

1. Pens: you never know when you’ll need a pen. Whether it’s to jot down a phone number, your laptop battery died in class and you suddenly have to take notes the old fashioned way, or you need something to write something down that you forgot to do, having a pen in your purse will never hurt.
2. Note pad or notebook: like I said above, you never know when you’ll have to write something down and how can you do that without paper? You can only write so much on a receipt or gum wrapper after all…
3. Gum/mint: chewing gum is said to help your mind work more actively. Whether or not this is true, I can’t guarantee. But mints and gum can definitely be useful for those days when you have to talk to the professor or that cute guy from lecture starts talking to you and you’ve just had garlic toast with your spaghetti for lunch.
4. Hygiene products: sometimes your time of the month sneaks up on you, and it’s always good to have hygiene products in your purse… just in case. Or you never know when your friend will need one, and trust me, you’ll be her hero.
5. Hand sanitizer: pretty much the first thing they teach you in kindergarten is to wash your hands before you eat. But sometimes that’s just not an option and having hand sanitizer can be your best bet.
6. Makeup basics: I’m pretty minimalist with my makeup, and oftentimes I’ll even go to class without makeup. But I do usually keep some sort of lip product with me- I keep an emergency lipstick, lip gloss, or lip balm in most of my bags. A mirror tends to help as well or else you’re stuck using the screen of your phone. Face wipes, concealer, and mascara can also be useful!
7. Headphones: I’m that girl who always has their iPod in when she’s walking. And while I don’t necessarily recommend that habit, headphones are something I recommend keeping with you just in case your friend suddenly sends you a song that you just HAVE to listen to while you’re studying at Robarts
8. An umbrella: Toronto’s weather can be pretty unpredictable, so to avoid getting rained on, make sure to keep an umbrella with you!
9. Emergency money: I typically don’t suggest leaving the house without your wallet but sometimes things happen, so I recommend keeping at least $10 in your purse for emergencies.
10. Healthy snacks. On days when I’m particularly busy, I sometimes forget to eat. I know that sounds weird, but it happens, I swear! So having a granola bar in your bag can really help when it’s 4 in the afternoon and you realize you forgot to eat lunch but it’s still too early for dinner.

What do you always have in your bag? Let us know in the comments below!