Now that you’ve started to get into the groove of things with school, you’ve probably figured out what are the essentials for each of your classes.  You’ll know which classes require your laptop to (because how else will you read CollegeCandy to block out boring professors), which require textbooks, and which demand a plethora of snacks to keep you awake your blood-sugar from crashing.

While you could lug everything around in your backpack all the time, a more stylish option is having a cute shoulder bag. Why drag a giant bag around when all you need is a notebook and a fountain Diet Coke? (Although I’d definitely stick to the backpack for days your need your laptop, three textbooks, a notebook AND your lunch….) Backpacks are boring, but these cuties are great transitional pieces; you can take whatever you need with you (in style) to class, and not be weighed down when you meet your friends for coffee or an afternoon shopping sesh.  They also add interest in your outfit, even if you’re simply in a shirt and the jeans you picked up off the floor 10 minutes before class.

And, because college girls need options, I’ve also scrounged up several cute options for going out bags… none of which are clutches. Come on, every girl knows you need your hands free to double-fist dance and snap some Facebook-worthy selfies. Shop away, ladies!

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One of my earliest memories is my first day of first grade.
I don’t remember what I wore.
I don’t remember what my mom packed me for lunch (though I’m sure there was a Swiss Cake Roll in there).
But I remember exactly what my backpack looked like.

Magenta with bright blue and yellow pockets. I was one rockin’ 6-year-old. And just thinking about that bag makes me as happy as that day when I filled it with markers, construction paper and my Barbie lunch box.

There is something about back to school time, whether you’re entering first grade or freshman year, that is so exciting. You don’t want to do the work, you don’t want to sit in the classes, but still – you can’t wait for the first day of school. And don’t even get me started on school supply shopping. Heaven. On. Earth. Read More »

In my mind, the second best part of going back to school as a kid was buying new school supplies (second, only to buying new clothes). While you might have swapped your Lisa Frank bright-colored-animal-covered notebooks for a laptop, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still have fun with your school stuff. If you have any distance to walk to class, chances are you have to haul your books. This year, why not buy yourself a new schoo lbag to make this trek more enjoyable?

There’s the perfect bag for everyone (or bags for your every mood). For the sporty gal there’s the ever useful backpack that will be easy to carry even if you’re ten minutes late and need to haul ass. For the fashionista there’s the less practical, but ever fashionable satchel. If you take your laptop to class, there tons of solutions with laptop compartments. No matter what your style, your price range, or your needs for a school bag, there’s something out there for you. Read More »

If Carrie Bradshaw was literally going to be the lady who lived in her shoes, then I will be the lady who lived in her handbags. I guess the upside is that handbags are a lot roomier and more cushion-y than those 12 million pairs of Manolos Carrie rocked on a season to season basis.

Fact is, I love handbags. And I don’t discriminate against clutches or cross body bags or cute totes, either.

Anything that holds all of my crap also holds the key to my heart. And what’s more, this season there are so many options! Fringed brown shoulder bags, adorable chain strap clutches… I mean, for seriousness, how does one decide without Suze Orman knocking on her door saying, “hellooo, you’ve got a problem, girlfriend.”

Well, thankfully, you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank for that banging new bag (now there’s a tongue twister – take that, Sally and your sea-shells at the shore). Here are a few of my budget bags that are must-snags. Target and Lulus are not messing around this season, that’s for sure. And while blacks, browns and beautiful cognacs are still wardrobe staples, colors are becoming the new neutral. From jewel tones to gray to a soft red, don’t be afraid to add a splash of color to your normally uniform black ensemble.

And, best part, you can rock that bag knowing you’ve done both me and Suze Orman proud. Sure, Carrie has her Manolos but you have your Tarjay, and that extra money in your wallet is much more fab.

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I remember my life before I discovered Franzia and its wine-in-a-box counterparts. I was developing a hunchback from lugging a backpack full of Keystone cans around campus, hopping from dorm party to dorm party. Or, I would spend an arm and a leg on bottles of Bacardi (and the mixers to go with it), only to go through a whole bottle in one night after my friends had passed shots around the room.

At some point during my college career, I discovered that wine is stronger than beer and more consistent than mixed drinks, which are super weak at many stingy bars.

Wine became my go-to drink.

When I moved into an apartment with a fellow wino, we quickly realized that even 1.5 liter bottles of wine went too quickly, so to save gas on packy runs, we became avid boxers.

Boxed wine is completely underrated by many collegiates across the country. In the wine world, Franzia may have a bad rap, but come on; we’re college students. We have no money. We drink a lot. And we aren’t opposed to drinking Dubra when times are tight, so why exclude boxed wine from our list of libations?

In many states, wine comes in 5-liter boxes. That’s FIVE LITERS of booze for about $15. Depending on how much (or how little) you drink, that can easily be split throughout the night between you and your five closest friends, or you can suck it down yourself and not worry about another liquor run for a week or two. If you can’t find a 5-liter box, you’ll still be set with the “smaller” size box, which contains three liters of fermented grapes.

Heaven. Read More »

Remember when the end of the summer meant a shopping trip with your mom and a first-day-of-school photo shoot to chronicle the beginning of first/second/third/fourth grade?

Then high school hit, and you took your own initiative to blow your money on the perfect ensemble to make a statement on day one. Freshman year meant something eye-catching enough to grab the attention of a studly senior, whereas by senior year, your wardrobe had to scream, “I’m a senior. I own this school. And I’m f***ing graduating, bitch!”

Now that college is just around the corner, is it time to retire the tradition of back-to-school clothes, or do you simply need to step it up a notch?

On the first day of college, the campus will be filled with tens of thousands of students, frantically trying to change their schedules, pay their financial aid, and find the right classroom in the right building. It was easy to get noticed in high school, when you were one fashionista among only a few hundred, but in college, the people you meet on the first day are most likely to be a nameless, faceless blur who were kind enough to give you irections to the registrar’s office.

If you are thinking about going all out for a first day of school ensemble, ask yourself what your motivation is. Do you want to look professional to impress the teacher? Give yourself a little extra self-confidence to make it through the day? Find a nice college boy to walk you from one class to another? The following are some broad categories of BTS-wear that I have encountered year after year. You might fall into one of these groups, or you may notice a few hundred students who do on the first day of college. Read More »

Remember the days of the LL Bean backpack? You really weren’t cool unless you had one; and you were even cooler if yours had your initials embroidered on it. I had the deluxe size. Which not only made me cool, but it also most likely permanently damaged my posture and caused me to knock over any small child who crossed my path.

In high school, I went through the, “I’m too cool for a backpack” phase and I carried my books everywhere, stopping at my locker in between every class. But that wasn’t really feasible in college. Walking across campus to class, it was impossible to juggle my books, laptop, cell phone, snacks, Venti Latte and various other staples.

Unable to carry it all – and completely unwilling to pick up another LL Bean monstrsity – I needed something cute and functional.

I searched high and low. The good news is: there are tons of cute bags out there. The bad news is: I bought them all.

5 Hot Bags For College:

1) Kate Spade Belle Meade Cana Tote- Kate Spade will have you actually feeling excited to gather your books and head to class. The Belle Meade Cana Tote is made from tumbled cowhide, which pretty much just sounds awesomely luxurious. Of course, the tote packs a pretty price tag at $425, so you may not be able to afford your books after purchasing it. But hey, you can always throw in a few sheets of loose-leaf paper and borrow a pen from the kid who sits next to you. This tote is worth it.

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Before I leave the house and head to the airport, I say goodbye to my one true companion: my seven-year-old pug Iris. I give her a big kiss on the cheek and squeeze her until she makes a huffy sound. “I love you, Iris,” I say to her. “You be a good girl.” Then, I give her a treat and, while she chews it, I walk out of sight. I will not be seeing her for a few months, but the reality doesn’t set in until I’m on the plane.

My friends tell me she whines the first few days, wondering where I am, and then she settles into life without me. My substitute for Iris is a plush gray neck pillow that I have brought with me on all my travels for the past five years. I sleep with my substitute and it provides me enough comfort to sustain me for the length of my trip.

Though there can be no real substitute for Iris, as a traveler, I am required to leave her behind — along with many other things. Despite missing these things, there is a profound cleansing that every traveler experiences. The value of an item is measured by its weight, size, and usefulness. The sorting between what will be brought or not quickly informs you of just how little a human really needs to survive life abroad. Read More »

Days as a Freshman: 98

Mood: Feeling weird

“So, how was your Thanksgiving?” Justin ran his finger over the dark, thick spines of books that looked as though they had been down in the stacks for centuries, the archaic gold writing worn away with age, the leather worn and tearing in places. We were in a far corner reserved for old English texts, big, dense volumes our grandparents were probably bored by in the early 1900’s.

“It was fine. A little weird…” I leaned against the opposite shelf, dropping my backpack by my feet. “Some kid came over accidentally. I mean… I accidentally invited someone over for dessert who I didn’t know that well…”

“Who?” Checking a small piece of paper gripped in his fingers, Justin locked onto a particularly giant volume and pulled it out, leafing through the thin pages. “And how do you accidentally invite someone over?” Read More »

Days as a Freshman: 92

Mood: Happy to be home

“Hey!”

I waved at a group of kids standing around a small red Toyota, feeling a pang of anxiety as the car continued to stay small, no matter how close I came to it. This was going to be a tight fit.

“Hey! She makes it at the last second, as always!” Jonathan opened up the trunk and started to push things around in the back. “Thought you were gonna walk home.”

Grabbing my overstuffed bag, Crystal’s boyfriend heaved it into the last remaining empty space in the trunk, pushing it against other bags and backpacks to make room for the door to close. As he jammed the bags together with his elbow, I cringed, thinking about all the clothes, make-up, and hair products that might be exploding all over the insides of my suitcase.

“Thanks again for giving me a ride,” I said, stuffing some loose brown hair into my winter hat. “I would have been stuck here.”

“No prob, bob.” Slamming the trunk, Jon smiled and walked around to the driver’s seat, motioning to the two other people already in the back, “it’s probably gonna be a tight squeeze, but it’s only like 2 hours. We can make it.” Read More »