What's in My Backpack?

I will be starting my first semester back since my diagnosis on Thursday, so I have school on my mind and I am super excited to reintegrate school back into my life! With that said, I have always been basically called the Mary Poppins amongst my friends because of all the things I can miraculously pull out of my purses or my backpacks. What is most astonishing are the things I can keep in my backpacks! I took hard classes in high school, so I had a big backpack that was full of quite a bit of stuff and I still carry that habit throughout my life…. It was mostly food. JK!

I do get to carry less in my backpack because I am not taking any science and math classes I got those requirements out of the way early in college PLUS I am an English major. But in high school I took a bunch, A BUNCH of math and science classes. So much that a lot of people were surprised when I went into the English program.

BUT! I learned how to pack a lot of goodies that I would need throughout the day so that I could avoid going to my locker or finding out that I suddenly didn’t have a pencil or worse! Snacks! Now this habit is to avoid going back to my car out in the 0 degree winter weather and just go straight to my next class- less time outside.

Here is a list of what I keep in my backpack that keep me on track during the semester!

Binders & Folders: Sometimes for each class or some classes are put into one binder; if they are, it is because they are small and they are on the same day.

A Bag of Pens & Pencils: It is actually mostly pens and highlighters in this little bag. Now that I am in college, I write in pen more. Maybe it is because I am left-handed, but by the end of the semester, my notes have rubbed away, not just by my hands but because they have moved against each other all semester and smudged the writing away. When I go to study for a cumulative final, I can’t read it! So I write in pen now and it doesn’t smudge. Highlighters are also like my best friend. Probably every college student’s best friend because you can highlight a bunch instead of writing it in a separate notebook or on a sticky note and tabbing the page.  

**CAUTION* Don’t highlight that much, it can reduce your comprehension and retention of the material that you are reading and then it doesn’t actually help you in the long run, does it?*

Wallet: Cash, cards and my flash drive! I know, you normally see flash drive bracelets or key chains. But I have been keeping my flash drives in my wallet since the 9th grade. Then it is ALWAYS with me. And keys.

Beauty Products: Not a collection of makeup products to the point that I can completely re-do my face in the afternoon. Just enough to give myself a small pick-me-up when I start getting that afternoon fog coming over me. I keep hand lotion, scented so that I started feeling perky. Chapstick. Lipgloss and/or lipstick, and I sometimes keep a couple options of this item so that I can choose for which mood I am in that day/time. I also keep a hair tie or two and maybe bobby-pins if I am lucky. When that fog hits, it will feel good to pull your hair up. It’s a nicer refresher.

……..Sometimes the books are in the backpack……..

Snacks! Give that brain enough energy to do more than keep breathing and your heart beating. Take care of yourself!

Note-cards, Sticky Notes & Sticky Tabbies: Studying? These can be your best friend. I am an English Major, so these absolutely are my BFF. I buy all my texts that are for the classes for my program and well, the margins can only hold so much!

Laptop & Charger: I live off campus and there have been semesters where there is a 3 hour gap between one class and the one that will be the last of the day. I live 15-20 minutes away but between hauling everything into the house, doing something like grabbing a quick meal or a nap, and the fear of getting stuck in the school rush (I go to a CC and the high school is close, so everyone gets stuck in the same areas), I get antsy about being late to my last class. So I stick around. Sometimes I meet up with friends, or others for campus organizations, instructors/advisors, or find a nice, quiet spot to chill. I listen to music on my phone and either get homework done or have just an hour or something all to myself. 

……..This is starting to sound like I am a pack mule……..

I ALSO keep my water bottle clipped to my backpack strapped by a carabiner so that I can roam campus without balancing my pile of binders and textbooks with a water bottle serving like the cherry on top. Hands free! Sorta, it’s actually rare that I get to keep all my supplies inside my backpack and just cross campus with nothing in my hands, but it is still a nice treat when it does happen! I keep lady products and a small notebook for random thoughts, since I am a writer and English major.

Aside from all these items, I am certain I keep more inside my backpack. Headphones, phones, my planner, more snacks...I have lots of snacks in my backpack. Misc. pens and pencils. My bags have the uncanny habit to completely strip and take apart my pens once they have fallen to the bottom of my bags and backpacks….I will later find them unscrewed, the ink straw separated….I don’t know how it happens. If you readers know, explain this to me in the comments.