What your uni bag of choice says about your life in Edinburgh

Tupperware, a heavy coat, food, a reusable water bottle – and a bag. The main uni essentials. We all need to get our stuff to the library somehow, so here’s what your chosen method of luggage says about you.

1. The Urban Outfitters Re-Usable Bag

Coming in really strong with the blueprint for basic Edi girl. The classic UO bag that you got for free when you bought your last pair of flares or a corset top. The logo has definitely rubbed off and there is at least one hole pending. But it gets the job done! You’re definitely studying something that requires zero materials besides a laptop, like sociology or psychology, and yet you’re probably packing at least one notebook and a set of coloured pens that have approximately twelve shades of blue, oh, and a pack of highlighters.

For lunch, you’re probably getting a sushi box from Tesco or Sainsburys, but every so often, you definitely splash out on a bento. You’re probably loyal to the fourth floor of the library and prefer a window seat so you can take aesthetic pictures of the meadows. I’m guessing your favourite night out is at Subway, and you’ve had a fair few cherry venoms in your lifetime. Remember, it’s okay to be basic! Basic things are basic because they work.

2. Fjallraven Kanken (bonus points if you can pronounce it)

2018 is calling and they want their bag back. Just kidding, I literally have one of these bags and use it religiously. Fjallraven girlies have their lives together, and not just for aesthetic planner purposes. You probably study law or history and prefer studying in cafes rather than the library, although you still go to the fourth floor for social purposes.

I’m guessing you have a Starbucks loyalty card and your alternative milk of choice is oat for environmental reasons, although you demolish cheesy chips after a night of dancing to classic club bangers at Gari’s. You most likely have a gym membership at Pleasance, which you occasionally use to walk on incline on the treadmill whilst listening to The Girls Bathroom podcast or scrolling through TikTok. You probably live in Marchmont, although you have a soft spot for posh New Town boys and frequently spend the night on the other side of town.

I bet you wish you had your Fjallraven Kanken with a change of clothes and a toothbrush for all of your long walks home from New Town to Marchmont. Don’t worry, we won’t judge you when we see you crossing the meadows at 9:00 AM in your corset top and leather trousers. We’ve all been there.

3. Your hands… which you use to hold your naked and vulnerable laptop

Either you’re from London and you live in New Town or you’re just unhinged. You probably study Philosophy or Geography and you only show up to tutorials if participation is mandatory and graded, sometimes not even then. Your chosen study space is the Law Library, because it’s closer to New Town (and the Pret, where you inevitably have a membership).

For lunch, you’re having a cigarette with a side of falafel of some kind. You’re a regular at The Bongo Club, which you call Bongo’s, although you’re also a loyal attendee at Fly events. I’m guess you’re probably wearing some kind of eccentric jacket with a skinny scary, low rise jeans (for the girlies), and about a million other unnecessary layers that you got from charity shops or depop.

4. Edinburgh Uni Tote

We were all given one of these bad boys in Freshers Week, but where is yours now? If yours is currently packed and ready to go for a day at the library then this is what your life probably looks like. You probably study something along the lines of English Literature, Social Anthropology, or a language, and your study space of choice is a university building, but not the library… I’m thinking 40 George Sq or Chrystal Macmillan Building.

You’re definitely standing in line for an African Wrap at lunchtime, and you feel passionate that Nile Valley/Africano Wrap Place is better. You probably play rec netball or rec hockey, but mostly so that you can attend sports socials on Wednesdays. You’ve never submitted an assignment on time and are running out of excuses for extensions when your real excuse is that you spend too much time cramming your social calendar to be full of dinners, coffee dates, and pub nights. Once you graduate, you should have your tote bag framed: it got you through the best of times and the worst of times.

5. North Face (or some other outdoorsy brand) Backpack

You’re American. You arrived in Edinburgh still pronouncing it “edinburrow” and you were initially shocked that not everybody carries a certified pro-backpacker monstrosity on their back, as you do. You can fit A LOT of stuff in those backpacks, so let’s go through some of the contents.

1. A Hydroflask… with stickers. Lots of stickers.
2. An emergency stash of granola bars
3. Rennies, why do all Americans have stomach issues?
4. A pencil case containing every kind of writing utensil you can possibly imagine
5. A MacBook… with even MORE stickers.
6. A journal so that they can document their adventures ‘abroad’ and tell all their American friends how amazing Edinburgh is

As far as your life in Edinburgh, you probably do your studying in one of the cafes that claims ownership of being home to J.K. Rowling’s birth to Harry Potter. You probably study Politics, because you thought it would be about actual current events and not just bang on about John Locke for four years, or something sciencey.

You didn’t get a gym membership because you anticipated “exploring nature” and hiking in the highlands a lot more frequently than you are so far.  Your pro backpacker gear has spent more time hiking to your uni lectures than hiking through the Highlands but sometimes your morning trek up Nicholson Street benefits from that high-quality back support nonetheless.

6. Longchamp Tote

Longchamp bags are practical AND fashionable, just like their owners. You study something along the lines of Economics, Business, or Accounting and your study space of choice is the library, but NOT the fourth floor because it’s too distracting. You packed your own lunch to save money but ended up spending £5 on an iced vanilla latte with soy milk anyway.

You’re not a gym girly, but you are a sucker for a workout class and frequently flex your trendy spin classes or yoga sessions on your Instagram story. You’re more of a ‘cocktails at Revolution’ kind of gal than a massive raver, but you also live for the mantra “once you’re out, you’re out” and frequently end up at Kitty’s when you promised yourself a “few chill drinks”. Just like your bag, you are classy, but even Longchamps have a little secret pocket for fun.

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