Friday Findings: My 10 School Essentials

Happy happy Friday, friends, and what a glorious day it’s been! Today I had a chance to stop over at my old school and see some of my favorite former students as they prepare for their first day of school this coming Tuesday. So many bright faces and so much energy filled the halls as they set up their lockers. I kind of miss those days, or at least the idea of a locker space–a place to call your own and store your belongings so you’re not lugging your entire life around with you wherever you go. Cherish it, people! I imagine the closest thing to that would be having an office, but what about those college and graduate students who don’t have such a luxury? I suppose we have no choice but to bring our essentials, and today, I’m sharing my own! What are yours? Comment below!

1. Sturdy bag: I’ve had my large Longchamp LePliage bag for at least five years now, and it’s honestly the lightest and most durable bag I’ve ever owned–and I use it every single day! This navy one is monogrammed and is now starting to show some wear and tear at the corners, so I’ve recently purchased a black one and a red one to give this one a break. It’s so versatile, and you can dress it up or down. I also have the Longchamp backpack for days when I don’t need to carry so much and a rose gold North Face Recon (not pictured and color option sold out) that’s probably the best option for days when I have to carry heavy textbooks in addition to my laptop. At the end of the day, you want something that will be functional and good for your back. I think the Longchamp LePliage and The North Face are great options!
2. Laptop: The majority of my note taking and writing is done on my laptop, and I’ve had this MacBook Air for about three years. It’s fairly light, sleek, and easy to operate, but I wouldn’t bring it to class unless I need to do serious research and writing. Because all of my electronics are Apple products, the iCloud works flawlessly and seamlessly with my other devices and has plenty of space to store my favorite study tunes, lengthy essays, and PDFs.
3. iPad Mini 4: Speaking of PDFs, I recently purchased an iPad Mini 4 to store and annotate the hundreds of PDFs my professors have already and will continue to assign. I only use this device for school, so it doesn’t have fun games or fancy apps, just simple tools to help with productivity. My two favorite applications are Goodnotes and Notability. I store my PDFs in Goodnotes and annotate with them using a Bamboo stylus, and take other notes using Notability. What’s more is that you can sync these to your iCloud account and Google account, so you’ll have access to your files wherever you go.
4. Planner and Notebook: Despite my electronics, I’m pretty old school when it comes to taking notes and planning my schedule, and generally opt for paper and pen whenever I can. There’s just something about feeling the paper against my finger tips and handwriting notes that make me so happy. In fact, research has shown one is more likely to not only recall information but better comprehend material when it’s handwritten. Plus, who can turn down cute stationary? I know I can’t! That’s what’s so fun about back to school shopping, right? For planning my schedule, I use the Passion Planner and will share a more detailed review later.
5. Pencil case: You can’t use a notebook and planner if you don’t have writing utensils, so this bag from TJ Maxx stores all of my goodies. My favorite writing tools are Zebra Mildliners, Pilot G-2 .38 mm in blue and black, Uniball Signo .38 mm in all the colors, sticky notes, a mini-stapler, Bamboo stylus, Bic correction tape, mini ruler, Papermate Clearpoint .5 mm mechanical pencil, big eraser, and a 4gb flash drive.
6. Water bottle: Whether you’re running to class or sitting through a lengthy study session, it’s so important to stay hydrated, folks! This 25 oz. Swell water bottle is not only fun, it’s also practical and keeps my water ice cold for 24 hours and hot for 12!
7. Toiletries: This bag literally goes with me wherever I go. There’s lotion, hand sanitizer, EOS lip balm, lip gloss, a nail file, gum, tissues, headphones, and more!
8. Wallet: Money, IDs…never leave home without it!
9. Sun glasses: When your future is so bright, it’s blinding–protect yourself!
10. Cell phone: I think we can all agree that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, this is an absolute must!