Categories: Campus Life

20 Pretty Back To School Supplies To Add To Your Survival Kit

Welcome Freshmen and transfer students, the next few years of your college education are going to be fun, adventurous, and we hope you learn a lot! We understand that in these trying times, you might not be returning or going to school on campus. However, just in case you might be here are 20 back to school supplies you’ll need to survive!

Let’s start with the dorm essentials when it comes to back to school supplies!

Now, when you are not going to classes or hanging out with some of your friends, you’ll most likely be in your room.

1. Laptop

We highly recommend buying yourself a laptop, and unless you are a film major, you don’t need anything too fancy. Something you can write your papers on, do your research, and maybe watch Netflix on while you have some downtime. Your laptop will be your life, and if you take notes on it, then even perfect!

Similar laptop: 

2. Printer

Printers are so freaking essential when it comes back to school supplies that we had to have it at the top. Here’s the thing, most schools will charge you about ten to fifteen cents her page you print out, and if you have a 30-page research paper, out of money, or sometimes you don’t want to walk across campus to print in your school’s computer lab then this is perfect. Just like the laptop, it doesn’t have to be fancy or send faxes. All it has to do is print what you need.

Similar printer:

3. Desk/Wall Calendars

Okay, this isn’t super important, but we found when we wrote down super important information, like when you have finals or when your papers are due, right in front of you, it helps a ton! Sometimes you just need to visualize the important stuff and not have the little details written everywhere.

Similar Wall Calendar:

4. Hydro-Flask Water Bottle

These bottles are an essential back to school supply merely because of inconvenience. It’s ten at night, you just ran out of your last water bottle, and the cafeteria is closed. What do you do? Well, your college probably has multiple water dispensers around your campus. Just go fill it up! Even better? You can take it to class and have water on hand without having to worry about throwing out plastic waste.

Similar Hydroflask bottle:

5. Keurig Mini/Coffee Maker

Okay, so most of you will probably think, why is this essential? Let me tell you when it’s 3 in the morning, and you still have two more classes you need to finish work for or study for you’ll be thanking the heavens above that you brought one with you. It doesn’t have to be a big one. Just a small little personal coffee maker.

Similar Mini Keurig: 

6. Any Kind Of Fan

Dorm rooms are small, stuffy, and sometimes (depending on the number of people in one place) cramped. Sometimes you need some air circulation in the room to keep you comfortable, and a small personal fan can help with that.

7. Desk Lamp

One of the better purchases of back to school supplies is a lamp for your desk. The dorms usually provide you with a ceiling fluorescent light. It’s harsh, annoying, headache-inducing, and sometimes you need something soothing. Getting one with a charging port isn’t a bad idea, either.

Similar desk lamp: 

8. Backrest Pillows

Backrest pillows are the best invention ever created. Between working in common rooms, sitting at a desk, and also the bed? Your back is probably killing you. These backrest pillows are perfect for when you need to rest your back without having to feel like you’ll sleep on your bed.

Similar backrest pillow: 

9. Any Type of Backpacks

You might be thinking, “well, I’m in college; why do I need to bring a backpack?” Easy, you have your pens, pencils, homework, books, planner, laptop, and highlighters, and that’s just the basics of the everyday. Who knows what else your classes require? Trust us; you won’t forget anything if you have a backpack.

Similar backpack: 

10. Bed Shelf

This isn’t necessary, but you’ll want the bed shelf. When studying in your room (totally don’t recommend) and you’ll probably find yourself on your bed (again, don’t recommend). So, it’s a great option to have when picking out back to school supplies. You can have your coffee, books, headphones, and even your planner! It’s multifunctional.

Similar bed shelf: 

So, we’ve managed to get at least ten essential back to school supplies for your dorm/bedroom. However, you won’t be spending the entire time in the room. You’ll be spending a lot of time in your classes too. Here’s some back to school supplies that we recommend you should have.

11. Student Planner

This is incredibly important for any student, any major, and honestly, anyone with a pulse. It keeps you so focused, helps your time management, and it’ll keep you at the top of your busy game in school. School planners aren’t as simple as they used to be. You can go for something super simple from the dollar store, or you can get yourself a customizable one from any brand you prefer!

Similar Student Planner: 

12. Highlighters

Most people will recommend at least two colors. We don’t. If you have four classes, then using it in your planner is a great idea. When you are taking notes, you can color coordinate everything from terms to vital information that needs to be memorized. It’s a great attribute to your studying skills because you won’t be sitting for like 3 hours trying to get through 6 pages of notes from one lecture when you can just scan your notes and pick out highlighted information.

Similar highlighters:

13. Adhesive Page Markers

We use these for everything, and we mean everything – our notes, our textbooks, and even our planners. It just makes studying a little bit better. It also can keep you organized.

Similar adhesive page markers:

See Also

14. Binders/Folders

Here’s the thing, we found multiple one-inch binders for each class to be easier compared to having it in a big binder. We found we are a lot more organized when we have a binder for each class that we can quickly grab and take with us compared to shuffling random papers from other classes. However, if you find one big binder to be a lot better for you, great, then just use one!

Similar binder: 

15. Citation Style Manuals

This was a lifesaver. Since you will be writing multiple papers in your college career, we know how overwhelming it can be, especially if you don’t know how to cite something. In our first year of college, APA style was entirely new for us, so this manual was great to have around for references!

16. Flash Drive/Hard Drive

This is essential for back to school supplies. We don’t care what major you are in; this is so important and useful for everyone to have in their arsenals. You will need to keep everything you have ever written in your college career in this small little space. You never know when you will refer back to it, but having custody of all of your papers/media will give you peace of mind.

Similar hard drive:

17. Mini Stapler

You will go searching for a non-existent stapler on your campus, and turning in a paper with dented sides isn’t a good look. So, it’s great to have a mini stapler around. Either keep it in your room or your bag.

Mini Stapler product:

18. Index Cards

This is the perfect way to study! You don’t have to take it with you to class, but when re-writing your notes or going over them, it’s a good idea to keep it on hand to write topics, vocabs, or other materials on it for when you have to study for a test.

Similar Index Cards: 

19. Calculator

Here’s the thing, even if you aren’t a math or science major, you will have to take a least one or two of them in your college career. This is why it’s the perfect idea to have it with you at all times as a part of the growing list of back to school supplies. Here’s the thing – your teachers/professors will not allow your phone calculator, so this the next best thing.

Similar calculator: 

20. Notebooks

Just as essential as a binder. While you might take notes on your laptop, some professors don’t allow that, or you might realize you learn better when you take notes by hand. So it might be best to get a notebook per class.

Similar notebook:

What’s perfect about this list is that you don’t even have to be living in a dorm to have these around you. Whether you are in high school, university, or community college, all of this is important to have around. Let us know what you usually think is essential to have when going through your list of back to school supplies.

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Pauline Mikhail

Hey! My name is Pauline and I'm from Los Angeles! Super nice to have you all read my articles! A little about me: I am a college graduate. I received my B.A. in Journalism and New Media in 2019. I have a passion for writing anything about lifestyle. If there is a story to tell; I'll tell it!

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