Back to School Essentials for College

Happy Friday! Back to school shopping is one of my favorite things to do before heading back to campus, and as this will be my last year in school I thought I would share the things I’ve found essential over the last four years. Links to all of the products mentioned will be posted below. Be forewarned that I have a slight obsession with Lilly Pulitzer. 🙂

The Essentials

Bag: More than anything else, I think that any college student would tell you that a good backpack or bag is absolutely necessary. Everything that I need for a day on campus can fit inside this backpack from the North Face, including my computer! Occasionally on days that I only have one class or don’t need all of my stuff I will bring a tote bag, but most days I’m sporting a backpack. This year I’ll be using my new Tory Burch Perry Tote on days when I don’t need much like I said before.

Planner: I know quite a few people who do not use a planner on a regular basis, but for me I would be lost without it! This is the third year using a planner from Lilly Pulitzer and I use it for everything from homework to blog posts and work schedules. The best thing about Lilly Pulitzer planners is that they come in different sizes depending on the user’s needs (mine is the Jumbo Agenda). A planner is so essential to my daily planning that I have even gone to Etsy to buy stickers for every event. I also use colored pens to categorize things like school, blogging, work, to-do, etc.

iPad: It rarely go anywhere without my iPad. It’s super convenient and helpful, especially in my PR classes when I need to be on multiple social media outlets for a project at one time. I recently in January upgraded to a gold 64G iPad Air and it’s perfect for both school and play!

Computer: I don’t use my computer as much at school as my iPad because of its size, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. My computer is mostly used at school for typing long papers (which is NOT fun to do on an iPad) or on days where I want to edit photos or blog. Another January upgrade, This computer from HP is a touchscreen with Beats Audio speakers and 2TB of hard drive. I also had Microsoft Office pre-installed when it was configured, but students can get Microsoft Office for free during school.

Notebooks: A major incentive for me to take good notes in class is a cute notebook! I have also found it easier to remember the material if I write it rather than type it out. These notebooks from Lilly Pulitzer come in so many prints and sizes and coordinate perfectly with my other essentials!

Water Bottle: With fancy bottle-filling water fountains everywhere I’m constantly telling myself to drink more water. Much like a cute notebook, a cute water bottle (from Lilly Pulitzer of course) gives me more reasons to stay hydrated!

Wallet: Since I’m carrying a backpack around, there isn’t a need to bring along a purse too, so this wallet is perfect! It holds both my phone and cards that I regularly use, and comes with a gold chain strap to wear crossbody when on the go. You can find this print right on the Lilly Pulitzer website.

Sunglasses: When aren’t sunglasses an essential? I tend to carry them more often in my bag during the winter only because the sun reflects to brightly on the snow, making it more difficult to see. I’ve been wearing these from Tory Burch a lot lately.

Technology Accessories: My worst days at school are when I forget to bring my charger for my phone or iPad. Luckily during the Lilly Pulitzer After Party sale I was able to snag a charging phone case! I’ve also bought an extra lightning cord to only keep in my car along with an outlet plug, which has come in handy on many occasions. It’s also a major bummer when I forget to bring my headphones to school too. Luckily I found this gold earbud case in a box of stuff from my room so they don’t get tangled.

Rain Gear: So many times have I seen people walking around campus on gloomy days without an umbrella. Because I live about 40 minutes away from school, checking the weather for the day is essential so I don’t end up soaked from the rain. I’ve found that a golf umbrella works the best for covering up my backpack so my electronics don’t get wet. One of the first things I ever got from Lilly Pulitzer, this golf umbrella is big and super sturdy in the rain, even when I feel like I’m going to be blown away Mary Poppins-style. A good pair of rain boots is also essential on the really rainy days. Again I’ve seen so many students unprepared for the weather and ruining their shoes, so I also invested in a basic pair of rain boots from Hunter.

Thanks so much for checking out this post! Below I’ve got some links to more items related to this post. I hope you all have a good weekend!

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