Your Law School Accessories!!!

[lishi]

So my mom is trying to tell me that law school students ONLY use rolly backpacks, and that I'm going to HAVE to get a rolly backpack. I will NEVER own a rolly backpack in my life. (This isn't offense to anyone, it's a long story)

So what do you as law student use to carry your books?? Just regular backpacks?? Do girls use humongous purses?? Are the lockers helpful?? Or does everyone really use rolly backpacks??




PS did I spell humongous right??? I don't think I've ever spelt that word before.

[IvyJustice]

I am going to rock the regular backpack. I refuse to roll my books to class and the library. The best way to find out what everyone else does is visit a law school during classes. This way you can see what the conventions are.

[orangeswarm]

DO NOT USE A ROLLEY BACKPACK...............you will have more friends that way!

Phew.........now that is off my chest, most schools give you lockers (we have two; one right off the main entry and another in the library). Otherwise, most people just carry their books and computer in a backpack. Some girls with really small computers use purse-like bags that I think are made to carry books (I'm just not sure what they are).

[jeff2486]

I have a regular backpack which holds my computer in a protective sleeve and a few books. Lockers are very helpful. You always have at least 15 minutes between class and you have time to switch out books. You see a combination of options here, but rolling bags are uncommon. Many people however carry a laptop bag AND a regular backpack. Some do as I do, and a few have bags that are actually designed to hold a laptop but are backpack style.

[lishi]

THANK YOU!!!! I'm going to tell my mom to look at this thread.

Yeah I have some massive purses that can fit a good amount n books and my laptop, but not ALL my stuff. So I guess I also wanted to know if those lockers were helpful.

Also now this gives me an excuse to start getting bigger and better bags!!!!!!!

[Ipsa Dixit]

No one cares what kind of bag you have. Very few people use rolling bags though because it's a pain going up and down stairs and kind of unnecessary. Most people just have backpacks, large purses, and/or a basic laptop bag.

Books are heavy, but as others have said, you can probably get a locker. You can also keep stuff in your car. I had my books split up and rebound into smaller pieces.

This "what kind of bag?" stuff is really no big deal.

[RTR10]

I usually carry my backpack and my vera bradley bag to put another few books in (at least this semester).

Last semester I had the binding taken off all of my books so I could just take a small binder with just the pages needed to class. I did it for my con law book this semester, but I just had it spiral bound into three sections. That saved a lot of room.

[hiphoppopotamus]

I had my books split up and rebound into smaller pieces.

that is the most ridiculous/awesome thing i have ever heard. how much does something like that cost?

[egrubs]

I...cannot...destroy......a book

[Ipsa Dixit]

Re: splitting books.

It cost me about $10 a book at Staples to have the books cut and spiral bound each into 3 smaller pieces. They did wreck one of my books in the process, but they promptly reimbursed me for it and I got another one. The biggest problem with spiral bindings is the margin along the binding. If it is very narrow, hole punching for the spirals may not be possible.

I have one book that I split myself by taking a razor and cutting the cover off. This left only the glue binding. I then split it into thirds so there are three glue bound parts. That could be a DIY alternative solution to spiral binding: remove the cover, split the book into thirds, but leave the binding intact in each piece.

Because there were wide margins for the book I split myself, I cut the glue binding off, 3-hole punched and then put 1/3 in a binder.

You aren't destroying the book, you are altering it. You are making one book into smaller books.

[kiskadee321]

DO NOT USE A ROLLEY BACKPACK...............you will have more friends that way!

Phew.........now that is off my chest, most schools give you lockers (we have two; one right off the main entry and another in the library). Otherwise, most people just carry their books and computer in a backpack. Some girls with really small computers use purse-like bags that I think are made to carry books (I'm just not sure what they are).

I think you're referring to tote bags? lol

Look like purses but bigger and more sporty/less formal?

edit: Definitely never ever getting a rolling bag. Bags should only have wheels if I'm going somewhere cool... preferably on a plane.

and OMG how can anyone destroy a book?!?!?! I cannot even fold the corner of a page as a bookmark. I just memorize the page number if I cannot find anything to place between the pages.

[Corsair]

..

[Peachykeen21]

What about those Longchamp/Herve Chapelier totes? Those fit a ton of stuff and they're cute!

[NewHere]

Nobody cares what your bag looks like. The choices are basically:
(a) A very big and unfashionable backpack that will hold a laptop and at least two giant casebooks, preferably more.
(b) A rolling bag
(c) A small and perhaps more elegant backpack that will not allow you to bring all the stuff that you would ideally carry with you.

Given these options, almost everyone goes for (a) or (b). I think in my section, almost everyone has a big and ugly backpack, and perhaps 10% have a bag with wheels. Several people showed up after the winter break with (b), replacing (a).

(Full disclosure: I go with (a), but I can see the benefits of (b).)

[dssinc]

Lishi:

I know you will do what you want to do anyway, but never let it be said that no-one ever sang the praises of a bag with wheels.

Much depends on what your study habits are. If you are going to stay on campus/in a building most of the time, then likely a locker and strong arms are sufficient.

In my case, I bring all my books for the day to school in the morning and return at night. This is because my primary study/work area is in my house. If I have three classes, that means anywhere from 3-5 books plus a notebook plus a laptop plus a laptop plug plus a lunch and a bottle of water. You know what? That's wicked heavy, and I am very, very happy to just zip the bag up and roll it from car to class and class to library, etc.

Stairs are not really that big a deal...just use the handle, lift, and carry. Healthy backs are a big deal, especially when you spend a lot of time hunched over law books anyway.

I could not possible care less what others thought of my use of a wheeled bag, but I can tell you that after about two weeks of watching me and another guy use ours at school every day, another half dozen students started using them.

If you are concerned that somehow a wheeled bag will cramp or otherwise impact your social life, there is nothing I can offer....

[simplyelle]

i just bought a cute vera bradley messenger bag, it fits my laptop and tons of other stuff really well. i think the lockers will help too though.

[lishi]

It's not about how I will look using one. In highschool I had a bad experience with a girl that had one. Hearing them hit the sidewalk creeps me out.

I'm just wondering the other options available.

[NewHere]

"If you are concerned that somehow a wheeled bag will cramp or otherwise impact your social life, there is nothing I can offer...."

Good comment.

[emilyk]

Lishi, others have said it, but as your friend, I would not let you use a rolly backpack.

I don't know I'm going to use. Chanel needs to make a backpack.

[lisasays]

Will I be made fun of if I use my briefcase with combination lock?

[Corsair]

..

[overcastagain]

You can't go wrong with Hello Kitty!

[Grad_Student]

Lockers: Do they have combo locks on them or can you use a key lock?

[lishi]

Like a pad lock??

[Corsair]

..