MARCS, Me and University

The week leading up to your frirst year of tertiary education can bring with it many feelings. Uncertainty, fear and well, sheer terror really. It can also bring with it, many questions, such as, will I make any friends at all?  Why the hell is my tutorial not in the classroom specified on my timetable? And what exactly is the Dreadlocks, Hessian and Fakon Association? Amongst all these feeling and questions that were running around in my head the week prior to beginning University, was another thought. One that, perhaps, I was the most contemplative about. The question? What type of bag does one buy when faced with three years of lugging books around campus. I had to be practical and logical in my thinking, as this bag must obviously be:

A) Sturdy, to withstand the aforementioned lugging. I don't mean your bag has to be reinforced like a high security vault, but some strong handles would be a good idea. And it should also be weather proof appropriate to avoid staining from rain as well as any spilling incidents from take away coffees that may occur. And trust me, there will be take away coffee spillage involved....

B) Small enough so that when traveling on public transport you don't give the old man on the Craigieburn line a black eye, yet large enough to carry books, a computer and a whole bunch of useless brochures and pamphlets given to you by members of the Support Communism Club. Or a small Chiwawa....just in case you're Chiwawa inclined and have been watching too much legally Blond.

C) The bag must have good 'stuff factor'. This means the material cannot be to stiff, as you will, most likely be 'stuffing', cramming and jamming your bag like no tomorrow.  There may be days where you actually do sometimes need to bring your kitchen sink to University. Well, not actually. But you'll have so much shite crammed in there it'll feel like your carrying the whole of IKEA's Kitchen Catalogue.

D) And finally, though perhaps most importantly, is that the bag must, I repeat, MUST, be aesthetically pleasing.

It was perhaps the last point that had me the most stumped. Sure, I found bags that were big enough and I guess were 'practical', but in saying that, I didn't want to carry around a bag for three years that was bright orange or looked like my grandmother (bless her) had made it. And that's when, almost on my final shopping legs after about two hours in MYER, I stumbled upon the perfect Marcs bag. It was everythingI could have hoped for and more. The perfect size, shape, colour and it had handles as well as an adjustable shoulder strap. To top things off it was the perfect price point, which means I don't have to live off Mee goreng noodles for the next month. Winning for the poor Uni student! Oh, and the bag isn't leather either...so I think I still qualify for the Dreadlocks, Hessian and Fakon Association.