What Every Commuter Student Should Be Keeping In Their Car
One advantage that commuter students have over the students that live on campus, other than having all os their meals cooked by their parents for free and sleeping in their own bed, is having their car with them at all times. Most commuter students aren’t taking advantage of this luxury and keeping their cars stocked with essentials to get them through any situation the day throws at them.
Here is what every commuter student should be keeping in their car at all times!
1. Extra Set of Clothes
It can happen at any time. Coffee spills on your white shirt. Salad dressing drips onto your sweater. You got caught in the rain and now you’re drenched from head to toe. Your next class is starting in 15 minutes, but you live 30 minutes away from campus. Whatever the case may be, your day could be ruined if not for the extra set of clothes you keep in your car!
Though it may seem redundant, keeping an extra set of clothes in your car is essential to commuter student success. Commuter students don’t usually have the luxury of living close enough to run home in between classes if an accident happened to their clothes.
Keeping an extra set in your car will be a lifesaver. A simple leggings and t-shirt/sweatshirt combination might as well be as beautiful as a wedding gown in a desperate moment. Keep an extra pair of socks somewhere in there, too. You’ll be happy you did!
2. Classwork
Keep all of your other classwork in your car. Being a commuter student is unpredictable. A class could get canceled out of the blue and you could end up sitting around waiting for your next class to start for hours. Why not be prepared to be productive and get some homework done while you wait?
Nothing is worse than finally talking yourself into getting some work done and realizing that you don’t have the materials that you need with you. This could be easily avoided bu keeping all of your other classwork in your car!
It is not uncommon to forget that you have a test tomorrow and a ton of time to kill, so having those notes nearby to study something your future self will absolutely thank you for.
3. Chargers
Another essential for commuter students to keep in their cars is a phone an laptop charger. Days on campus can run longer than expected, and nothing is more of a buzzkill than your laptop dying right in the middle of your group meeting for your very important project.
If nothing more than a sense of security, keep those chargers close by in your car. You need both your phone and laptop to get through the day, especially when you’re a commuter student!
4. Emergency Cash
Maybe you’re starving and forgot to grab your wallet on your way out of the house. Or you need a cup of coffee so bad, but you’re not getting paid until the end of the week. Your group wants to go for lunch after meeting about your project, ah! Have no fear, the emergency $20 you keep in your car is here to save the day!
You never know what the day is going to throw at you, and it is nice to know that you’re covered for wherever the day might lead you.
5. Umbrella
I went through 4 years as a commuter without an umbrella. If I could change one thing about my college experience, it would be having an umbrella in my car for the long treks across campus in a monsoon. I would show up to class absolutely drenched looking like a complete fool. Every time it would happen I would make a mental note to get an umbrella. It never happened, and I regret the day I was born every time my clothes would be dripping onto my notes as I sat in class. Don’t be me. Get yourself an umbrella!
In the same breath, investing in a raincoat wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. Having a raincoat is another thing I kept telling myself I was going to get but never did. It would have made a world of difference!
6. First Aid Kit
Accidents happen, as we learned from the coffee spill we had earlier. A deep paper cut or a fall on the stairs. Be prepared for whatever is thrown your way and keep some bandaids in your glove compartment.
It would be a good idea to keep some emergency pain medication on hand, too. Cramps or headaches can be killer during a long day and having an Advil or Tylenol on hand could save your entire life. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep some Tums to Rolaids in there too if your morning coffee isn’t sitting right or that presentation you have next class is making you nauseous.
Other things to keep in there that could come in handy are safety pins, gauze pads, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, scissors, etc. No need to break the bank, either. Travel sizes are super cheap and will fit in any compartment of your car!
7. Hygiene Products
While all of us girls know to keep feminine products like tampons and pads on hand at all times, there are a bunch of other products commuter students should be keeping near them for emergencies!
Maybe you decided to work out on campus in between classes or the temperature was a bit higher than anticipated and now you’re sweating. Keep a spare deodorant and a travel bottle of perfume in your car in case things get a little stinky throughout the day. It also wouldn’t hurt to keep some oil blotting sheets or extra face powder in your car for the same sweaty reason.
Chapstick and hair ties always seem to be floating around our cars at all times anyway. But, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you have those with you for your commute.
