Kit: Graduate School

So you’ve decided four years of college just wasn’t enough to quench that thirsty brain of yours. You’ve trudged through essays, taken the tests and traded countless lattes for advisor recommendation letters. The wait, worry and work were entirely worth it, though, because you just opened that letter admitting you into the graduate school you’ve been gunning for. The parents are proud, the student loans are shrieking and your name train is ready for a few extra letters. It’s time to get schooled all over again, and we’ve prepped your shopping list. You’re getting smarter — so should your gear.

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MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch

No more bargain basement, low-rent laptops. The MacBook Pro Retina boasts an achingly beautiful 15-inch 2880×1800 Retina display, a 2.3GHz quad-core i7 processor, 256GB-768GB of solid state storage, 8GB-16GB of RAM, and a GeForce GT 650M 1GB video processor. It also weighs in at a mere 4.46 pounds and measures just 0.71 inches thick. That’s thinner than the flatbread sandwich you’ll stuff your face with after your particle physics lab. What’s more, the Pro Retina ingeniously utilizes asymmetrical fan blades, keeping your sleek beauty cooler and quieter. This is also the part where we advise you to keep stupid stickers off the cover, Mr. Ph.D. candidate.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition

Just because you’re serious about your education now doesn’t mean you can’t have your toys. The Google Edition of Samsung’s latest beast is as good as ever, with a crisp full HD Super AMOLED 5-inch screen, a 13MP camera (which many think is the best in the biz), a 1.9GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage and even a microSD slot should you need more space for all of that “research”. Best of all, this version comes with the latest Android OS, and it’s blessed by Mountain View to receive future updates as soon as they become available. Since it also ships unlocked and without a contract, stints of academic fact-finding abroad won’t be an issue, either.

Google Nexus 7

A smartphone and a computer just aren’t enough these days. You need that in-between screen. Google’s new Nexus 7 boasts a 1920×1200 HD display (making it the sharpest 7-inch tablet screen on the market today), along with a variety of other upgrades including dual stereo speakers, a quad-core Snapdragon processor paired to 2GB of RAM, and a 10 hour battery life. It also weighs just 0.64 pounds. Use it for Kindle reading, taking notes and, most importantly, watching shows on Netflix during that extra hour of exam time you clearly won’t need, showoff.

Sony ICD-PX333

Give your hand a break and let this uni-tasking gadget tackle the day’s slate of lessons. It’ll remember everything you don’t in your pre-coffee haze, recording in MP3 format to play back at the gym (sorry Rihanna). Best of all, with 96 hours of battery life, it’ll save you from battling with the rest of the rubes for the outlet at the back of the classroom.

Rotring Tikky 3-in-1 Multipen

Grabbing Motel 6 pens on undegrad summer vacations kept your budget for writing instruments in the black, but now that you’re prepping a dissertation, you’ll need a more mature jotting tool. The Rotring Tikky 3-in-1 Multipen is a mechanical pencil, a highlighting ballpoint pen and a regular ballpoint pen. It isn’t some cheap number, but it also won’t break the bank.

Bianchi Metropoli Due

The Due is the kind of bike that makes you glad your Huffy with the neon shock fork got stolen two summers ago. With its svelte aluminum frame, dual hydraulic disc brakes, twin fenders and upright riding position, it’s downright gentlemanly — and it makes you look like a scholarly urban cyclist, rather than a teenage bus boy that just escaped catering detail.

Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000

Noise-canceling headphones are an incredible tool for those intense study sessions. This set from Polk Audio will make your music shine like never before without making you look like a rapper in the making. In this case, it’s what you won’t hear that’ll makes all the difference in your sanity and grades.

Outlier Ultralight Blazer

A good blazer is a must have for any stage in life. Outlier’s Ultralight looks formal enough to wear while shaking hands with well-connected alums, but it’s also got the style to impress your M.D. Ph.D. track study date that very same evening. Unlike the last suit your parents bought you, it’s also designed for movement and breathability. Remember, no one likes a sweaty student.

Oak Street Beefroll Penny Loafer

Like the blazer above, these made-in-America loafers walk a nice line between business and pleasure. Take good care of them and they’ll probably retire when you do.

Leatherman Sidekick

Being a man on the move in educational circles doesn’t mean you don’t like getting your hands a little dirty now and then. Between tweaking your bike, fixing annoying Swedish furniture and breaking the seal on that bottle of single malt after a particularly brutal T.A. session, you’ll need a multi-tool at the ready. Consisting of a whopping 14 tools, the Leatherman Sidekick has just about everything you need at a very affordable price.

American Giant Short Sleeve V-Neck Tee

A breathable, ready-to-wear t-shirt is as much of a wardrobe staple as a sharp oxford or denim. Dressed up or down (but never with a logo, unless it’s your school’s), a great basic Tee works at the library, lab or study group. Our pick for great essential goes to American Giant, a San-Fran-based outfit that believes great t-shirts should not only be sturdy and easy to wear, but made entirely here in the U.S. Just don’t wear it to an interview, unless you’re applying for position in The Valley.

Ghurka Walker Backpack

Since you’re no longer a wayward undergrad who can’t find his way around a square quad, you should probably lose the backpack riddled with stale beer smells and chocolate chip granola bar stains. Ghurka’s twill take is clean and means business, just like you.

SanDisk Memory Cards

You just picked a few new gadgets packed with the latest features, and you’ve got a university-grade data connection that burns through the internet faster than you can say “faculty assistant”. But what about those documents, music, movies and photos folders that are getting fatter by the day? Consider a blazing fast memory card from SanDisk. They’re a perfect place and way to store and transfer data from all your devices (including all of those in this kit) and are relied on by the pros. You expect bullet-proof performance from your devices. Wouldn’t you want the same for your data?

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