Heavy backpacks can be such a pain (quite literally)! Especially if you study at a big campus, have to use public transport daily or face an endless number of stairs to climb every day. It’s almost ‘back to school’ time and heavy backpacks are never something to look forward to.
In my last year of university, I carried a heavy 15-inch laptop to university, with a 15-20 minute walk to the bus stop and back home again in the afternoon. Lucky for you, my bad backpack experiences gave me plenty of time to figure out some back-to-school tips and tricks to help you this coming school year. Here are a few things you can do:
- Time for a New Laptop? Make the Switch Sooner Rather Than Later
If your laptop is slowly dying on you and you can feel the blue screen of death approaching any day soon, don’t wait until you’re in the middle of your coursework and have to face doomsday! Consider buying a new one at the start of the year when all the good deals are on and pick a light one. Ultrabooks like the MacBook Air are perfect for students; you won’t even know you’re carrying a laptop around it’s so light!
- Find Out What Your Instructors Want!
Some instructors require that you bring your books to every class; some never ask to see them once! Find out which instructors don’t need you to bring books to class and keep those books at home. For instructors who do require that you bring your books, find out if they allow book sharing in class and then coordinate with a friend of yours, taking turns in bringing the book to class.
- Go Green & Get Techie
Get as green and as electronic as your school allows you to. If your school offers e-books, go for them and save yourself the hassle of carrying heavy books. If you need your books in class but would rather not carry them every day, scan the pages you need and bring them with you on your laptop or tablet.
- Use Lockers
If your school offers lockers for student use, make good use of them! It’s such a relief leaving the heavy items in your locker until you actually need them. Even if you have a spare bag for end-of-day sports, leave it in there and grab it when you need it. That way you can carry with you only what you need most of the time, which may not be more than a notepad and pen for the day!
- Re-organize Weekly
Oh, the clutter that student backpacks can collect: scrap paper, biscuit crumbs, broken rulers, business cards, etc. At the start of every week, take 10 minutes to reorganize your backpack and throw away all the unnecessary garbage that has piled up and added weight.
Keep these 5 simple tips in mind this fall and spare yourself the frustrations and backaches for a painless semester at college!
