College, I’m back bitch! (just kidding, I wish!) For those of you returning to college, I’m secretly jealous that you get to spend more time back at school living close by to all your friends with no real adult problems to worry about (can you tell adulating has gotten the best of me?). As you can tell from this #tbt photo, I’m missing my old stomping grounds of Walnut Street down in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh very much.

While I’m glad to be out of school and starting this new chapter in my life, I started to feel nostalgic as I watched Snapchat stories of my younger peers moving back for orientation, pre-recruitment, and move-in week. So, I figured what better way to wiggle my way back into school by helping you guys shop for your new year in college?

Here are some of my favorite things that got me through the last four years away from home. The best part is, they’re all on Amazon for you to easily purchase with a click*. After all, who has time for shopping when you have so many events to attend, people to meet, and syllabi to read ;)?

For Class

Depending on your major, you have different requirements and necessities for your classes. For me, all of my college material turned into soft copies starting junior year. However, that doesn’t mean that others did not have class where laptops were not allowed. That also doesn’t mean I didn’t need notebooks or planners either. Below are some of my favorite items for class and staying organized with your academics (after all, you’re in college for your studies!).

Planners

Be sure to check out what the inside looks like and all the different colors/theme choices. All are under or around $20.

Notetaking

Writing things down definitely help improve your memory of the material when it comes to projects and exams. As much as I love to type my notes, I make an effort to at least have one notebook to jot things down on. These are a few of my favorite ones, all college ruled and reasonably priced (around or under $10)! You can purchase them in packs on Amazon for a more worthwhile price as well, so be sure to choose the pack you need whether it’s 2 or 10.

Pens

We all need something to write with right? Whether you like blue and black pens, colorful highlighters, fine point ink roller pens, gel ink roller pens, colorful fine point pens, you can get a box of them at a large count for a small price on Amazon. You may not think you need 36 pens, but you know you will be losing them weekly in the abyss that is your room, your school bag, or you classmate’s school bag. Why not stock up while you can?

PS: The BIC pens on the right column of the first row come in black, red, and blue!

For the Dorm/Apartment

Despite the fact you’re only staying in this space for a short amount of time, it’s always nice to come home to a homey, comfortable, and welcoming space for you to do what you need to do or simply relax and unwind. While everyone has different interior design tastes, there are a few items we all tend to gravitate towards. Most of the following items all help organize your space because as we know, dorm rooms and college apartments are never the biggest spaces! We need to fit as much as we can into as little as we can. As for the other half of the items… well. We all need our college survival kit pack ;)!

Below are the items I have/purchased throughout my college days. There are other size and color options for many of the items, so be sure to make sure you order the right one for you!

That’s if for my main essentials in my Back To School survival kit! I can honestly say without these items, I probably would have lived in a dog house, not fed myself, and not written any notes down in class.

Some other things that I did not include were backpacks/totes and room decor. I know we all have different bag preferences, and I believe it’s important for everyone to create their comfiest living space with their own style and vision. I hope this list helps you out when you go shopping for your college survival kit this year (and any year after)! I’ll be envying you all in school from afar…

Bisou, bisou!

*All photos take you to affiliated links, as I am an Amazon associate. If you purchase through these links, Bouge & Rouge receives a tiny portion of the sales which helps me keep the blog alive and thriving for you each week! If you are not comfortable with affiliated links, please don’t be afraid to purchase them on your own. I totally respect that!

Erica Huang

Based in New York City, Erica Huang is the creator and voice behind Bouge & Rouge. This blog is a playground of her thoughts where she invites you to join her on her journey through her 20s. Erica shares her lifestyle, fashion and beauty tips, adventures, and personal thoughts with the goal of inspiring others to always persevere and be unapologetically yourself.

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