I’ve had many backpacks throughout the years of college and feel like it’s a really overlooked, essential part of your day-to-day life that can dictate your efficiency, productivity, and more. Here are a few things that I find are really nice to have in my backpack at all times.

• First Aid / Personal Hygiene
  • Having a little pouch with personal items inside my backpack has been super helpful. You will need them WAY more than you think. This can include bandaids, neosporin, pain reducers, female hygiene products (if needed), nail clippers, nail file, tweezers, etc. I have used all of these things more than once per semester.
• Calculators
  • If you have both, keep both a standard calculator and a nice graphing calculator on you. Professors could announce calculator standards for pop quizzes, tests, etc. last minute in class, and you will be very thankful that you have both options with you.
• Snacks!
  • Even if you wind up putting them away at home at the end of the day, it’s nice to have them around if hunger strikes and you are really busy and/or don’t have the time/money to spend. There are some cheaper Amazon options for backpacks with built-in lunchboxes that can allow you to put ice packs and everything in there which is especially great for people with any dietary restrictions.
• Water
  • I’ve become a big advocate for carrying water with you. I have been caught without water and no time to get any enough times that I was dehydrated and now carry a big jug around with me; there are some cheaper designs on Amazon with cute patterns.
• Stationery Cases
  • I’ve developed a system for this. I have various stationery cases for each thing: colored fine-tip Sharpies, colored fine-tip expo markers, colored chisel-tip expo markers, colored pencils, colored fine-tip markers, colored highlighters, and standard (pens, pencils, erasers). I switch them out at home based on what I think will be the most valuable during that day, but the Expo markers are GREAT to have around. You never know if you will be stuck in a study room with nonfunctional markers or just cramming for a quiz (studies show that studying with multiple colors helps your brain memorize things better).
• Headphones
• Chargers