When I was in high school, I didn’t care much about the stuff I kept in my bag. I mostly threw everything my teachers gave me in random folders and hoped I could find them later. These folders had zero designated subjects, by the way. I just put stuff in whatever folder I could grab first. I was a complete mess. When I got to college, though, I realized I needed to get a little more organized. Now, I don’t have a backpack currently (don’t order a random backpack off a sketchy website, y’all!), but this is everything I have in my tote bag. I hope you get some tips you can apply to your daily life. If not, I hope you get some entertainment!
Laptop
Obviously, I need my laptop. Since I was an engineering major last year, my laptop has an obnoxious amount of storage and processing power. It doesn’t really do much for me now, since I’ve switched to an English degree, but I can play Minecraft without it lagging. Aside from the occasional video game, my laptop is my life. I can get all of my assignments done here, check my email, and other boring adult-y stuff that I find fun now. Yay.
Latin Textbook
This one is pretty self-explanatory. I need to take four semesters of a foreign language, and I decided to try Latin! I love everything classics, and Latin is no exception. Now, do I hate it? Yes. Is it a bunch of unnecessary memorization? Also yes. Unpopular opinion: nouns do not have to be assigned a gender. “Road” does not need to be a feminine noun and follow a different declension system than “rocks”. Despite my beef with the Latin language, I love being able to read ancient writings.
Planner
I have mixed feelings about my planner. On one hand, I literally don’t know how I would survive college without it. All of my assignments are in one place, along with club meetings, quizzes, and social events. On the other hand, I have tried to use a planner my entire life with zero success. For some reason, I simply could not use a planner in high school or freshman year of college. Maybe I just didn’t have the right kind of planner, I’m not sure. Either way, my planner keeps my life together, and I’m pretty sure I would drop dead if I didn’t have it.
Pencil Case
Throughout high school, I was EXTREMELY type B. Instead of keeping all my pencils and highlighters in a pencil case, I literally threw them in the bottom of my bag. It got so bad that my high school boyfriend started keeping my pencils in his bag, so I didn’t have to root through my backpack for five minutes at the start of every class. Anyway, once I got to college, I realized that having a cute, organized pencil case is actually awesome! I can finally find all of my writing utensils in one place!
Keys/ID
My mom let me use her substitute teacher lanyard to keep my room keys and my school ID on, and I have yet to return it. Sorry, Mom. Without that lanyard, though, I’d have lost my keys and my ID a million times over. Instead of having to look for a tiny brass key and a thin ID card, I can just grab my giant blue lanyard and continue on with my day. It’s pretty awesome.
Wallet
I used to leave my wallet in my dorm room out of a fear of losing it. However, after using and abusing my Apple Pay last year, I figured I should start carrying it around with me. Who knew that having a physical card with you would make your life easier? Plus, it’s nice to be able to get in your car straight after class instead of walking up three flights of stairs. Once I’m in my apartment, I’m staying in my apartment, even if that means going without Panera for a day or two.
Hairbrush
I’m pretty sure I have curly hair. My mom and my brother both have the most insane curl patterns, but I have decided to ignore that possibility. I have zero clue how to take care of my curly hair, and my mom has worn a bun every day since I was born, so she would certainly be no help. I keep a brush with me because I let my hair air dry most mornings (which is insane, I know), and I need to keep brushing it while it’s wet, so it does not become a giant triangle. It still looks absolutely insane, but the triangular shape is successfully avoided!
Carmex
I know what you’re going to say. “Mackenzie, these lip balm companies make you addicted to them! They just dry your lips out so you buy more!” Frankly, I don’t care. Having chapped lips is the worst feeling in the world to me, and I just can’t stand it. I love the minty, buzzy feeling of Carmex on my lips. Additionally, other people need lip balm, too! Maybe I won’t share with a random person, but I am more than happy to share when my friends need some lip balm.
Headphones
These are an absolute necessity. I have my headphones on constantly: when I’m walking to class, when I’m studying, or when I’m watching a TV show. If I don’t have my headphones, I freak out. I actually had a whole breakdown about losing my headphones the other day until I realized I had left them in my car. That’s how important they are to me. If I can’t listen to All Too Well (10 Minute Version) on my way to class, my day feels incomplete. Plus, the noise cancellation is amazing! Sometimes, I won’t even listen to music; I’ll just sit in complete silence. It’s heaven for the average introvert.
Migraine Medication
Okay, usually I don’t bring my migraine medication with me in the morning. However, I have been forgetting to take it every day this week, so I’ve determined to start bringing it with me. My mom and I have had chronic migraines since we were young, but we only just got on medication for it. Honestly, it has been life changing. I can finally make plans after 4:00 without worrying I’ll have to cancel last minute. Also, the medication I’m on prevents hangovers. I don’t know how, and it’s definitely not the highlight of taking it, but it’s a plus!
Blue Light Glasses
As discussed in the previous section, I get chronic migraines. It’s definitely genetic, but staring at my computer and reading sixty-page documents for my creative writing class does not help. So, I decided to invest in some blue light glasses! They’re the cutest tortoiseshell pattern, and they help my eyes feel like they’re still attached to my head after a long day of homework.
That’s it! It’s not a lot, I know. When I have a backpack, I typically have a snack and some gum in there, just so I have something to keep me going throughout the day. But it gets me through my classes without feeling like an absolute trainwreck. Thanks for reading, and I hope you got a good idea of what to put in your college bag!