What's In My (School) Bag?

For as long as I've been watching beauty and fashion YouTube videos, I can remember watching the "What's in my bag" segments. It's always been so interesting to me to see what everyone hauls around in their daily lives. I'm a huge purse fanatic. I can remember always wanting to borrow my mom's to play dress up when I was younger, and constantly begged for my first designer bag. At the time, I was absolutely obsessed with the Coach Poppy bags, which had just been released. I can even remember the first time that I fell in love with a purse, about seventh grade, driving through the city with my best friend and her family on the way to visit a school in the area. However, the bags that you fall head over heels with in middle school aren't usually functional for use in college. I've always been a purse or tote kind-of-girl when it came to school bags, however I've been known to carry a Vera Bradley backpack every now and then. As I said before, one of the keys to finding the perfect bag for school is functionality. Nobody wants their new designer bag's handles to rip off, no matter how pretty it may be, you may just spare yourself some shoulder pain. One thing that differs between high school and college is the amount of books that need to be carried between classes. I find that I'm carrying way less books in college, since I have enough time to switch out books. Since my schedule is completely different every day, I usually find that I have to switch my bags too. On super busy days, or library days, I usually take my backpack to accommodate my laptop as well as multiple textbooks and notebooks. Every other day I use either my Longchamp or Madewell Transport Tote. As a rule, I keep the same school supplies for my classes, and just switch them in between bags.

MacBook Pro: A classic, need I say more? 

Vera Bradley Wristlet: Not gonna lie, I jumped on the bandwagon with this one but it really surprised me. All of my friends are huge Vera Bradley fans, and even though I'm usually not one, this is so convenient. We use id cards to scan into buildings, and this has a front-showing id sleeve so you know you always have it with you. Plus, it has sleeves for the overwhelming abundance of gift cards that I have, as well as a zip-coin purse. If I don't carry my entire bag with me, if I'm going to dinner or something, I just pick this up, stuff my phone in it and go!

Pens & Highlighters: As a rule, I don't use pencils in class. It's so much easier to write with pens for me, probably because I have that super girly half cursive half printing handwriting. I love the Sharpie pens for everyday use. I've already gone through 2 completely without managing to lose them. 

Colored Pens: If you're one of those super-organized note takers who needs to have some color to prevent yourself from getting bored while studying, I definitely recommend Papermate's felt tip marker pens. I've gone through around three packs of these bad boys in a matter of three semesters, between using them up and losing them. More of the second though. 

Five Star Notebook & Folders: I'm a huge fan of five star products, always have been and probably always will be. My mom always ends up convincing me to get the college ruled ones, and I've used them for years. I usually use a three subject notebook for every class, especially for Math classes or my Econ/Accounting classes that require a lot of writing out problems.

Kate Spade Planner (Large): I purchased this last week, and I can't tell you how much I love it so far. Transitioning between Lilly Pulitzer and Kate Spade is difficult. I love my Lilly planner, but I'm so busy that I needed a little more room since I only had a medium. I wasn't a huge fan of the patterns for the covers of the  Lilly jumbo planner, and decided to switch over to the Spade side for the rest of the year. The only complaint I have at this point is how it's not as colorful as the Lilly, which is what initially caught my eye.
Coach ID/Badge Holder with Lanyard: This was one of the first things I bought when I got my driver's permit, and I've had it for years. I don't have the exact one in the picture- mine is pink with a cupcake on it. I use this to hold my driver's license, and attach my dorm room key as well as my home-gym key card to the key ring.
Kate Spade Wallet: I'm a huge sucker for statement accessories. When it comes to purses, I keep it pretty neutral so why not have accessories that contrast and stand out against it? This wallet is absolutely perfect in every way.
Tumbler: While going from class to class, I find it essential to have some sort of water bottle. My schedule consists of five 75-minute classes, so I need to stay hydrated to survive. Plus, carrying a cute tumbler makes it so much more enjoyable. I'm a huge fan of my Starbucks one, or anything that has a sassy quote on it.

But besides all of the above, I also carry headphones. Which are an absolute must in between classes and for the library.

What are your school essentials?