Results day is approaching, and if you're anything like I was before I went to university, you've not bought anything yet… This handy list should help you avoid making the mistake I made, bringing too much and not enough to uni simultaneously.
Firstly, I want to go against the grain a bit here, don't bring a doorstop. I know every. Single. The list you read will tell you to bring a doorstop to halls to help you get to know your flatmates quickly during freshers, but what they don't tell you is that most of the doors in theatres are fire doors, which means you legally can't prop them open.
Okay, this doesn't sound like a big deal, and for a while, we did prop our doors open, but my flatmate was slapped with a £50 fine and the threat of having to attend a fire-safety course when she was caught with her door open during an unannounced check. Save yourself the cash and the hassle by just hanging out in the kitchen in your free time.
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Don't bother bringing an iron; I didn't get an iron, but anyone I know who did hardly used theirs. They're heavy and bulky, and there are easy ways around creased clothes. Firstly, the creases will drop if you hang them up straight out of the dryer.
When you enjoy a hot morning shower, hang your outfit in the bathroom, and the steam will smooth out the wrinkles. Finally, a pair of hair straighteners are essentially the same as iron and work just as well, and you can use them on your hair, bonus!
Another household item that I felt it paramount to bring to uni was a printer; in reality, it didn't connect to the Wi-Fi in the halls, and I had lost the cable to connect it to my laptop, rendering it useless. I never really needed to use it anyway; I just read everything on my computer, and anything that my lecturers or tutors felt I needed a paper copy of was just given to me. It sat on my desk, collecting dust all year.
On another note, don't buy your suggested reading list before you get to uni or even in your first few weeks. Check out how much you need for that £100 2018 edition of your Philosophy textbook before you fork out for it. It's likely avail it's as a pdf online for free or at a lower cost.
If not, make use of the library! Anything that’s comthat'sy reading should be there if your lecturers don’t know makedon'tvailable online. Also, checking out on-campus book sales for previous students is often new.
Now for the things that I think you do need…
I don’t knowdon'tcommon this is, but our halls didn’t have a kettle or a toaster in the kitchen, and I hadn’t reahadn'tof my accommodation emails before arriving at uni to know this. Double-check if things like this are included in your flat, and wait ‘til you c'tilto discuss with your flatmates about pitching in together to buy them- no flat needs six kettles!
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Speaking from personal experience here, please remember to back up your work! A couple of weeks into the first term, when trying to book tickets to a club event- during the press, I spilt a vodka diet coke concoction over my almost brand-new MacBook and completely broke it. It cost my Mum no claims on her house insurance, and it cost me all the work I’d done aI'dni so far.
A couple of lessons to learn, don’t brindon'tr a laptop into the kitchen during press and back up your work! Buy an external hard drive or pay a small monthly fee for some cloud storage, just in case.
On the subject of press, get yourself a wireless speaker if you don’t alredon'tave one (and when you do use it in communal areas, keep it high up and not on the kitchen table- see vodka coke concoction above). It’s greatIt'shave some music when you’re allyou'reng ready to go out, and it’s so muit'sasier if it’s wirelit's anyone can connect and play their “great” mu" ic.
D"n’t forgDon'tu-Tac or pins to put up all those pictures of your friends and family around your room, no use having spent hours carefully selecting the perfect images for them to sit around in a draw all year because you never got around to pinning them to your notice board.
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Another thing you might want to consider is a clothes horse. Paying to wash and dry your clothes can rack up, and for some reason, our dryers were smaller than the washers, so one wash would be two dries. Very irritating. I left the dryers for big things like towels and bedding and used a clotheshorse to air dry most of the time.
Also, a clothes horse means you only have to make one long, sad trip to the laundry room rather than back and forth to collect and swap your clothes around. An extra tip, those big blue Ikea bags make great, cheap laundry bags.
Here is a short packing list that you can use as a guide when packing your bag and moving to a university:
- Clothing: Bring enough clothes for different seasons and occasions, including casual wear, formal attire, and clothes suitable for outdoor activities. Don't forgDon'tsentials like underwear, socks, pyjamas, and a few pairs of comfortable shoes.
- Bedding: Check with your university about the provided bedding, but typically you'll neeyou'llring sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and a comforter or duvet. Consider packing a mattress protector for added comfort.
- Toiletries: Pack your toiletries, such as toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, and any other personal care items you use daily. Don't forgDon'tings like towels, a shower caddy, and a robe.
- Electronics: Bring your laptop or computer, along with necessary accessories like chargers, headphones, and a power strip. Consider bringing a small desk lamp and a portable phone charger as well.
- Kitchen essentials: If you can access a communal kitchen, bring basic kitchen supplies like plates, bowls, cups, utensils, a microwave-safe container, a water bottle, and a mini-fridge if allowed.
- School supplies: Stock up on pens, pencils, notebooks, folders, a backpack, a calculator, and any other materials you'll neeyou'llyour courses. Don't forgDon'tplanner or calendar to stay organized.
- Personal items: Include any items that bring comfort, such as photos, posters, a favourite blanket, or decorations for your room. Consider packing a small first-aid kit with essential medications and band-aids.
- Laundry essentials: Bring laundry detergent, fabric softener, a laundry bag or hamper, and some change for laundry machines if needed.
- Entertainment: Don't forget to bring items that help you relax and unwind, such as books, movies, board games, or a musical instrument if you play one.
- Important documents: Pack your identification documents, health insurance information, a copy of your class schedule, and any other important paperwork you might need.
I hope this has put your mind at rest after inevitably seeing everyone on your Snapchat post stories of them in Ikea stocking up on trollies full of stuff. Be savvy, don’t take, don't you don’t needdon'tdon’t forgdon'tat you do.
We have written an article on handling a telephone interview that you should read before your next job search.
Post by Olivia Greaves
Olivia is a Politics student at the University of Southampton. Follow her on Twitter @oiiviagreaves (https://twitter.com/oIiviagreaves)
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I already bought a mini iron and i totally felt like this was bad investment after reading this and I couldn’t even cancel my purchase. I shouldn’t do more research before listening to my instructive thought :((