What's In My Bag? Law School

Supplies — “The provisions and equipment necessary for people engaged in a particular project or expedition.”

-Oxford English Dictionary

Throughout my posts about school, I’ve discussed what school supplies I use on a daily basis but I haven’t written a devoted post on them.  So, here it is!

The Bag Itself

In my August Obsessions post, I wrote a little bit about my new backpack for this year.  I really wanted an actual backpack this year because almost every single one of my classes has a supplement, and they’re all like 2000 pages.  Since I didn’t want to destroy my Longchamp bag that I used last year, I went on a mission to find a new backpack.  I finally purchased the Herschel Supply Co. Pop Quiz Backpack, and I absolutely love it.  Sometimes it’s a tight squeeze to fit my books (not all of them, though I don’t think any backpack would fit all of them) and my notebooks, but it honestly doesn’t make my back feel like it’s going to break under the weight of all my books.  It also has a couple different pockets to fit extras in it and even a sunglass pocket.  Since not all of my books don’t fit in my backpack, I usually have to bring another bag with the rest of my books.

My Essential Items

Casebooks/Supplements

I feel like this is a must-have for every law student, especially to follow what is going on in class.  I personally buy my textbooks on Amazon and from Barrister Books.  I really like buying from Barrister Books because they have quick, free shipping over $49 and you can earn points from your purchases to redeem on future book purchases.  If you use the link here, you can save $10 off your first purchase of $50+!

Although textbooks are something you should bring to class, supplements might not be depending on your professor.  One of my professors doesn’t really refer to the supplement, and when he does, it’s always on a PowerPoint.  However, a different professor makes us look up statutes all the time during class, and we can only use our supplement on the final that can be annotated, which is what I do during class.

Notebooks and Folders

In one of my blogs last semester, I said I use the Five Star Notebinders; however, this semester, I decided to just use regular Mead Five Star Notebooks and Folders because they ended up being cheaper.  I actually color code my notebooks and folders to the Examples and Explanations supplement books.  But pro tip about buying school supplies:  Walmart has them really cheap during the back-to-school season so I always stock up on them!

Pencil Case w/ School Supplies

When I purchased my Longchamp bag, I wanted something to hold my pencils, pens, etc. so I bought this Longchamp cosmetic case, which is the perfect size.  I personally use Sharpie pens, Bic highlighters, and these super ball point pens.  I’m extremely particular about what I use to write with so these are things I stock up on before school starts.

Mini Laptop

Since my actual laptop is giant and weighs a couple pounds, I don’t bring it when I go to school every day.  When I need to bring a laptop to school, I bring a mini-laptop like this one here since it fits way easier in my bags.  It’s great that it’s a 2 in 1 laptop so I can also use it as a Kindle for eBooks, but it also has Microsoft Word on it so I can do my school work on it too.  I also use a flash drive to transfer documents between my computers to ensure I have the latest version of my work.

Planner

I’ve written a post about my May Designs planners before so if you want to read about it, here’s the link!  I used these planners for about four years now and love them so much.  I keep my planner updated with assignments I have due and any quizzes or midterms.  It’s literally my lifeline to keep me sane during the semester.

Life Essentials

One last set of things I always make sure I have on me are what I call life essentials.  I usually have PeptoBismal, Advil, hand sanitizer, lotion, dry shampoo, tissues, and an extra set of contacts.  These can help you out in a pinch and are every day essentials.  Also, you’ll probably be called a mom if you come prepared, but your friends will definitely be thankful you have them covered.

There you have it!  This is normally what I take with me to class every day with some variation depending on the day.  Comment below with your must have school supplies!