Back to school can mean many things for many people. While we might instinctively make the mental leap to those shipping off from their homes to take up residence in the halls of higher education, back to school doesn't apply to only one type of student.
Older students, those commuting from off-campus, and many balancing full-time employment are what we might refer to as nontraditional students, and their back-to-school needs are just as essential when preparing for the year ahead.
For nontraditional students, the return to school isn't as simple as ensuring your dorm room is stocked with enough tech to strike a fine balance between work and play. For them, it's about juggling multiple responsibilities and finding ways to supplant the time or on-campus resources that regular future alums can rely upon.
To help them on that path, the team at Laptop Mag has put their collective grey matter to the test to draw up a list of essential back-to-school laptop accessories deals to help nontraditional students put their best foot forward when tackling the year ahead. Let's dive into the deals.
- Check out Laptop Mag's special Back-to-School issue for more recommendations and deals.
The best laptop accessories for nontraditional students
Right off the bat, we're assuming you already have your laptop in hand or picked out. However, if that's one item you've not yet cleared from your back-to-school checklist, fear not.
If you're still deciding on your ideal laptop for education, we've got you covered with a solid spread of articles highlighting some of the best back-to-school laptop deals to look out for.
- 27 best back-to-school laptop deals of 2024: Save up to 70%
- If I were going back to school, I would buy one of these 3 affordable AI PCs
- The 8 longest-lasting back-to-school laptops — no more outlet hunting
- Best Buy's back-to-school sale knocks up to $500 off HP 2-in-1 laptops. Here are my 5 favorite deals
With your laptop sorted, we'll move on to some vital back-to-school accessories that will help you immensely throughout the year.
We've picked three main items to place at the top of your back-to-school checklist (a trusty laptop bag, a mighty power bank, and some sizable external storage), but we've also included a range of optional deals you should keep an eye out for on a range of accessories and software at the tail end of our list.
Our three must-have back-to-school items for nontraditional students might not sound like the most riveting of purchases, but trust us; they're well worth the investment. Here's why and our recommendations for the best back-to-school deals in each category.
1. Mancro Anti-Theft Backpack
If you're commuting back and forth to college or hopping between work and school on a regular basis, you'll likely need to make sure you have your essentials with you at all times.
Life isn't often kind enough to afford you the time to head home to restock, and you may find yourself immediately on the move from work to school or school to work without pause.
That's why a good laptop bag is essential, allowing you somewhere to stash your laptop, textbooks, and other items so you never get caught short in the day. Better still, a laptop bag is often padded in all the right areas to ensure your tech stays in tip-top shape while remaining comfortable and ergonomically sound to carry.
- Check out Laptop Mag's best laptop bag buying guide or see more back-to-school laptop backpack deals.
2. Anker PowerCore 24K Power Bank
Staying on the theme of being on the move more than most students may be, if there's one vital laptop accessory for those forever finding themselves back and forth between work and school, it's a reliable and high-capacity power bank.
When looking for a laptop power bank, you're likely to want to aim for something with a capacity of at least 20,000 mAh; this should ensure you get a full charge when you need it and won't lose access to your most useful tools and software when you really need it.
High-capacity power banks are also great for keeping your other devices juiced up throughout the day and are a godsend for those who might not have access to available outlets.
- Check out Laptop Mag's best power bank buying guide or see more back-to-school tech essentials deals.
3. Samsung T7 Portable SSD (1TB)
Physical storage is dead! While we do have access to cloud storage, and your laptop is undoubtedly capable of storing plenty of documents and files, it never hurts to have a backup.
If your time is spent juggling two lives and only one involves you being a student, you might not have time to replace or recreate that vital essay that appears to have just upped and left the last place you were sure you stashed it. Being able to retrieve even a copy of your work from a safe, secure, and durable external hard drive can be a lifesaver in those moments.
Of course, there are other great reasons to invest in external storage, including organization, access to all your learning resources while offline, and having a separate backup of your most important documents in case your laptop ever gives up the ghost.
- Check out Laptop Mag's full Back to School Issue or see more back-to-school tech essentials deals.
Other top back-to-school deals on laptop accessories
- Razer Kiyo Webcam: An all-around top-scoring webcam that won't let you down on quality for online classes and video calls, was $99, now $45 @ Amazon
- Timbuk2 Spire Laptop Backpack 2.0: a highly-rated, strong, and weatherproof backpack with room for everything, was $109 now $85 @ Walmart
- NordVPN: A speedy VPN to secure data and ensue privacy online when using on-campus hotspots, 2-year subscription for $3.39 per month @ NordVPN
- McAfee Total Protection (12 months): The complete antivirus and internet security package, 1-year subscription was $104 now $24 @ Best Buy
- UGREEN 5-in-1 USB Hub: An ultra-portable USB hub for connecting a wider assortment of accessories to you laptop, was $29, now $18 @ Walmart
- Apple AirTag 4 Pack: Apple's tags help to track your tech and bring peace of mind to regular commuters and tech lovers, was $99 now $79 @ Amazon
- Logtech MX Anywhere 3S: A compact highly-portable wireless mouse that works flawlessly on any surface, was $79 now $69 @ Amazon
- Microsoft 365 Personal (12 months): Gain complete access (online and offline) to the entire suite of Microsoft's office apps, 1-year subscription for $70 @ Best Buy
More from Laptop Mag
