The New Normal of College Life: Essentialism Meets Excess As students return to campus, they face a paradoxical landscape where quality living and working conditions collide with budget constraints and limited space.
This tension is reflected in the latest back to school essentials touted by publications like WIRED. These products are often presented as must haves that can be had without breaking the bank.
However, scratch beneath the surface, and it becomes clear that many students are being sold a bill of goods that caters more to manufacturers' interests than their actual needs.