College Women Rate Back To School Must-Haves

One of the most exciting things about the start of a new school year is always back to school shopping. Strolling into the first day of class rocking fresh kicks and a new pair of jeans always had me feeling like the coolest kid on campus. TBH, hitting the books (again) becomes a lot more fun when you've got a brand new stylish wardrobe to do so in. But exactly which fashionable fall staples rank highest on our shopping lists this BTS season? CollegeFashionista, a fashion site geared towards college-aged women on campuses worldwide, tapped the vast community of the site's interns for their opinions on the latest back-to-school trends.

The trendy style site partnered with Goldman Sachs to survey 867 style-conscious college students on their must-have style picks and favorite apparel brands for on campus fashion, and the results may actually surprise you. Classic brands like Kate Spade are still as trendy as ever. Handbags are still super important, and athletic wear is still all the rage. Yes, athleisure is truly here to stay, it seems — at least on college campuses, anyway.

Amy Levin, founder of CollegeFashionista, says seeing the range of brands and price points on the survey was particularly surprising.

"It was also interesting to see some luxury brands such as Celine pop up on the results," Levin tells Bustle over email. "This indicates that millennials are becoming more mature spenders and are making investment choices rather than traditional mass consumer purchases."

Check out the most interesting takeaways from the back-to-school trends survey, and let it serve as inspiration for your BTS shopping.

1. Jeans, Backpacks & Booties Are Must-Have Items

Jeans, boots, and backpacks top the list as most important staples for on-campus fashion. Twenty-one percent of those surveyed rated backpacks and totes as their favorites, while 17 percent love all styles of denim including skinny, distressed, and boyfriend.

Herschel Settlement Backpack, $152, asos.com

2. Free People Wins As Favorite Apparel Brand

Roughly 13 percent of people ranked Free People as their favorite apparel brand, followed by Topshop, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, H&M, and Zara. ASOS and Brandy Melville trailed not too far behind. As a loyal customer of most of these brands, I'd have to agree with the survey results.

3. Kate Spade & Michael Kors Handbags Are Front Runners

I got my first Kate Spade handbag in the 7th grade, back in the early '00s. Clearly, the timeless brand is making a huge comeback or at least doing an amazing job of appealing to women of all ages, which is certainly refreshing. Seventeen percent of those surveyed rated Kate Spade as their favorite bag brand, while 13 percent opted for Michael Kors.

Cedar Street Maise, $298, katespade.com

4. Nike Dominates The Athleisure Sector

A whopping 47 percent of those surveyed rated Nike as their favorite athletic brand. Lululemon came in second with 19 percent. Personally, I was quite surprised not to see Adidas on the list, as their classic black and white sneaks were wildly popular this year.

Nike Perforated Crew, $120, nike.com

5. College Students Prefer Online Shopping Rather Than In-Store

Online shopping totally beat in-store as the preferred way to shop and I must admit, I'm not surprised. What's better than hanging in your sweatpants in the comfort of your own couch while picking out your favorite fall items? It seems e-commerce brands like ASOS are just going to keep on booming.

These results go way beyond just college-aged women, at least IMO. Three years post-college, I'm still obsessed with Free People, handbags, and online shopping. It will be interesting to see how millennial shopping trends change over the years to come.

Images: Courtesy Brands; ASOS