16 Essential Items to Carry on Campus

By Lorena Roberts on October 28, 2017

If you’ve ever been stranded on campus without your wallet or an umbrella, you know how inconvenient that can be. You wake up in the morning thinking you don’t have a thing to worry about when in reality, it’s going to pour down rain between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when classes are in full swing (and you have a pretty long walk).

So in order to save you from completely embarrassing yourself or being uncomfortable, here are 16 things you should always have with you when going to campus.

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1. Chargers

Laptop. Phone. Tablet. Any charger you could possibly need should be at least in your car when you go to campus. Nothing sucks worse than walking into class feeling prepared and having a dead laptop. 

I keep a spare phone charger in my trunk and my laptop charger is always with me (because it dies so quickly).

2. Spare outfit/Shoes

This might not seem that important until you have an important meeting and you’ve spilled coffee all down your shirt. Or until you step in a giant puddle and soak your shoes. You definitely want to save yourself from blisters and bleeding feet. Keep a spare outfit in your trunk with the most versatile pair of shoes you own.

3. Your trusty planner

How will you plan anything all day if you don’t have your planner with you? Also a terrible situation. Make sure you have your planner with you before you leave the house, or else you’ll leave your entire life behind!

4. An extra set of pens

Taking notes with a pen that sucks is the worst. If you’re anything like me, you have a favorite pen. I always keep a spare in my glove compartment and in the zipper of my purse. Of course, I have millions of other pens I can use. I don’t care about losing these pens. But if I’m really needing to feel fancy and write something important, I want to make sure I have the right pen to do so.

5. Deodorant

Especially in the summer or if you go to school in a warm climate, keeping extra deodorant will be your saving grace. The worst feeling is knowing you’re the one that’s stinking up the room. Avoid this situation altogether and just keep some extra travel ‘deo’ in your bag and in your car. You never know.

6. Gum/Floss/Travel toothbrush

You don’t want to walk around all day with your breath smelling like your first cup of coffee this morning or with your lunch stuck in your teeth. If you keep some oral health essentials with you at all times, you’ll be a lot more confident in your smile.

7. Snack(s)

If you’re someone who needs something to eat every few hours, take a snack with you to campus! Whether it’s a pack of crackers or an apple when your tummy starts grumbling it’ll be easier to appease it than if you had to track down a vending machine.

8. Headphones

When you’re trying to have a really good study session and that girl behind you won’t stop giggling, you’re going to wish you had some headphones to drown her out. Your walks to class will be more enjoyable as well. Promise.

If you don’t own a good set of headphones, let me hook you up.

9. Wallet (including your student ID)

You never know when you’re going to need your wallet for some reason on campus. I always have mine with me in case I need to walk off campus for food. It’s also important that I have my student ID in case I need to check something out from the library or use the printer.

10. Spare notebook/paper

I always have an extra notebook and paper with me. If I ever need to leave someone a note, write down something important, or loan some paper to a friend, I’ve got it covered. This has come in handy about as often as my phone charger has.

11. Water bottle

When you hike up that hill, you’re going to wish you had something to swig. Keeping a water bottle on you will be your saving grace at least once a day. Just make sure you wash it out every now and then. If you’re looking for the perfect water bottle to carry around campus, start here.

12. Hand sanitizer

Walking around campus and opening up doors, touching handrails and other people … ick! You never want to sit down to eat (even a snack) without squirting some hand sanitizer on your palms beforehand. Channel your inner-mom and pull out the wet-wipes to wipe down your table as well — it’s always flu season on campus!

13. Sticky notes

In case you need to remember something really important, carry some sticky notes around for quick reminders. I do this all the time when I need to remember something especially important. If my planner has a sticky on it, I know there’s something I need to make sure I’m paying attention to.

14. Hat/Hair accessories

When I used to have long hair, I always made sure I had a band on my wrist. At some point throughout the day, I would want my hair in a pony and if I didn’t have a band, it would drive me absolutely nuts.

15. Ibuprofen

I’m not suggesting you carry around the largest can of medicine you can, but having some emergency headache medicine will keep you well-prepared for those days you’re going to skip because of that annoying pounding in your head. It’s totally worth it to carry a few hundred milligrams around, just in case.

16. An umbrella (even if it isn’t supposed to rain)

I’ve been caught on campus in a rainstorm MULTIPLE times without an umbrella. If you don’t own one, click on over here and order one!

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