What kind of bike should I get?

I'm 20 years old and never learned how to ride a bike as a child. I want one to ride around my college campus next year; speedy isn't necessary (or allowed on campus) and expensive isn't worth it because it may get stolen and I'm certainly not a professional. I want one that's really easy to learn how to ride and perhaps even have the option of attaching a component in which I can put my bags and books. A couple of people have advised me to get either a beach cruiser or a hybrid, but I can't seem to find much advice online about the pros/cons amongst the two. Let me know what you guys think and thanks for the help.