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Uni Life

What to take to university

Here's a handy freshers’ week checklist, covering all the basic items and essentials you’ll need to pack and take with you to university...

Sam Haysom
by Sam Haysom
Last Updated:
22 Apr 2024

Getting ready for freshers’ week can be a stressful business. What with having to think about new flatmates, lectures, course mates, nights out, living away from home, cooking for yourself, clubs, societies and generally making the most of everything, thinking about what to actually pack can sometimes get left until the last minute.

Which is where we come in – with a freshers’ week checklist, covering all the basic items and essentials you’ll need to take with you to university.

We’ve tried to keep it simple and add a few pointers here and there, but the most important thing to remember is not to worry – if the worst comes to the worst and you realise you’ve forgotten something crucial, you can always nip to the shops and buy it when you get there (and get your parents to transfer you the money, obviously)…

Food


While there will almost certainly be a supermarket within close range of your halls or campus, it’s worth stocking up on the essentials before making the drive to uni. A good stash of non-perishables (pasta, rice, tinned food, etc.) will last you for ages, and you can use them to cook plenty of simple, quick-to-make meals.

Toiletries


As well as the usual wash bag items (toothbrush, razor etc.) it’s important to remember things like soap, shampoo and toilet roll as well – you don’t want to be caught short.

Bedding 


Unfortunately your room in halls won’t be like a hotel, so you’ll need to remember to take all the things you need for a comfy night’s sleep with you.

Alcohol


Okay, so you can always buy some when you get there (and the student bar will probably be packed with cheap drinks), but it never hurts to have an emergency stash, right?

Laptop

Although there will be plenty of computers you can use in the library, a laptop is pretty important for work as well as keeping in touch with friends and family. It’s also good to have one for general, mindless internet browsing and keeping up with your favourite TV shows.

Cooking utensils


Unless you’re planning on living off microwave meals and cold baked beans scraped straight from the tin, you’re probably going to need a few items to cook with. A parent-assisted trip to the supermarket should take care of this one.

Folders/stationery


Get yourself some pens and a notepad for lectures, and a few folders so you can keep your notes in order.

Books


If your course has a specific reading list for the summer or any books they want you to buy before starting lectures, they should send it to you before term starts. You can always ring them up or check the uni website if you’re unsure.

Games console


Not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you fancy yourself as a bit of a gamer then bringing up your Xbox or even your old N64 to uni will probably help make you a few friends.

Cleaning products 


Yep, that’s right. For all the buzz and excitement of freshers’ week and university, there’s a downside too. Occasionally the university will employ cleaners to take care of communal areas like the kitchen, but you’ll almost certainly be expected to keep your room clean.

Oh, and don’t forget washing powder (the realisation that your mum isn’t there to do your washing for you is definitely one of the hardest things to take).

Medicine


Having an emergency medicine box (AKA hangover kit) is a good idea, especially in the first month or so of university when freshers’ flu is doing the rounds. Some paracetamol and ibuprofen to cover headaches and some antacid to settle the stomach is a good starting point.

Phone charger


Probably one of easiest items to forget when packing. Make sure you remember your laptop charger too (and any other random chargers you may own).

Kitchen stuff 


So what happens about communal kitchen items like kettles and microwaves? There are a couple of options here: obviously you don’t want to arrive at your flat with a microwave and find that everyone else has brought one too, so if you can find your future flatmates on Facebook before going to uni, it’s a good idea to get in touch with them before the start of freshers’ week (look in university FB groups and you might be able to track them down).

Alternatively, you can wait until you arrive and then make a group trip to the supermarket to take care of shared items.

Posters/photos


It’s all about the personal touches. When you first move in to your new room it will probably look about as exciting as a baked potato, so it’s worth covering the walls with a few posters to liven things up a bit (a lot of student unions hold poster fares in the first week or so, which are worth keeping an eye out for).


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