As midterm season approaches, students are figuring out different ways to manage not only completing coursework, but also how to carry it across campus.
As Northwestern settles into the new school year, campus is crowded with students walking to class. Most carry similar items, but in a wide variety of bags. So the question arises – How do people make the important decision of what type of bag to carry?
Weinberg Senior Yong Yu Huang can always be seen carrying a backpack during the day. For her, it is about practicality.
YONG YU HUANG: If I’m going to class, it’s definitely a backpack just because my laptops heavy and my Ipad is heavy and I just carry a lot of books around with me all the time and so I worry about the structural integrity of the tote bag.
Huang added that she feels backpacks are more comfortable.
HUANG: It’s also just like if I am going to be out for like eight hours, I don;t want to be just having all the weight on one shoulder. It’s bad for your posture, so I/m definitely a big backpack proponent.
Weinberg Junior Ellie Panko agreed that backpacks are better suited to carry more:
ELLIE PANKO: To me, my computer just doesn’t feel safe in a totebag, and also, I want to be able to carry more stuff, because I don’t know everyday what I am going to be doing and sometimes I need more things and I don’t want to have to go back to my dorm to put things in that wouldn’t fit in a tote bag
Weinberg Senior Chloe Campbell prefers to carry a purse.
CHLOE CAMPBELL: I had nothing against my old backpack… It feel like its clunky on my back and I get sweaty and stuff, I don’t mind stuff on my shoulder
However, her main motivations were aesthetic.
CAMPBELL: I just like the red leather bag look. I feel like it goes with a lot of things. It’s very fall
Weinberg Junior Riley Hause also uses a tote bag for its stylishness:
RILEY HAUSE: I like the way it looks, I did a backpack in high school and I feel like, to be honest, a tote bag makes me feel like a real adult
And while perceived maturity is a reason to get behind tote bags, Panko said she observed that tote bags are often chosen for their uniqueness:
PANKO: I think it’s interesting because tote bags have become more of a statement of personality now and I’m curious if backpacks had that appeal, people would be more interested in backpacks over totebags. They have a bag that shows a trip they went on like a bag from Paris or they have a tote bag that has a musical artist on it. I wonder if that was on a backpack, if it would be like a similar thing
And while she’s often a backpack user, Huang, takes up a tote bag or two when not in class. She says has a collection of them, each acquired for their design, includingSome she got from various organizations at Northwestern.
HUANG: I also have an NU Asian tote bag here. I used to be on staff for NU Asian, I’m a big fan of their designs. They have such cute merch.
So whether attending classes, studying in the library, or going around the town, Northwestern students make a statement with the baggage they bring with them
For WNUR, this is Savannah Bond.
