- Laptop: The lifeblood of a college student, plastered with stickers and maybe a little chipped from being dropped that one time. In the immortal words of Rosa Diaz, if anything happened to it, you would “kill everyone in this room and then [your]self.”
- Pencil case: 10 percent pens and pencils. 90 percent random implements that you will never use—but what if you need them someday? Then you’ll be glad to have a mini stapler, hole puncher, and convertible scissors.
- Headphones: For warding off awkward conversations.
- Notebooks: Makes you feel less like a screenager—until you realize that taking physical notes is really tedious and slow. So you migrate to your computer or iPad. The barely used notebooks are still there just so your backpack isn’t depressingly empty.
- Phone: The quintessential tool for procrastination. Say, have you done today’s Wordle yet?
- Laptop charger: The one day you forget it is the one day that you’ll desperately need it.
- Water bottle: Keeping you healthy by keeping you hydrated, and also adding 10 pounds to your already strained back. On second thought, maybe just get a coffee.
- ID: Attracted to the bottom of your bag like a moth to a flame. Don’t worry, you definitely didn’t accidentally leave it behind on a chair somewhere. Totally. It’s not in your hand, though. Or your pocket. You should check to make sure it’s actually in your bag. Just in case.
- Jacket/hoodie: Takes up an unreasonable amount of space. You will look like you’re carrying a pillow if you shove it into your bag.
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Random trinkets:
- A wrinkled syllabus that has been compacted into a paper lump after you put it in your backpack and forgot about it.
- A snack for the starvation block you’ve accidentally built into your schedule.
- A keychain or pins—either some overpriced blind box figurine or niche fandom reference that will make for a great conversation piece if anyone notices.
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