Heading out to university is a tremendously exciting thing. You’re going to leave your high school persona behind, and expose yourself to a whole new world of education and personal development. At the end, you’ll probably emerge a completely different (and hopefully better) person.
To get the best out of your university experience, however, a little bit of preparation is critical. You’ll want to take several essential items along with you. Let’s run through a few of the more important things to take to uni.
What to take?
Documents
When you’re getting settled in, you’re going to need to keep track of a number of different items of paperwork. These include accommodation contacts, confirmation letters, loan applications and bank statements. Have a filing system in place that can help you stay on top of this stuff will save you from large amounts of aggravation further down the line.
Clothing
You’re going to be at university for most of the year, and thus it’s fairly essential that you have a range of clothing styles to draw from. You want something that’ll keep you warm in the winter, that’s comfortable for around the house, and that’s presentable enough for lectures. If you’d prefer, you can completely change your wardrobe with a shopping spree – but getting this done quickly will create hassle you might not want.
Bathroom items
You need all your essentials for washing. That means a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, towels, and a laundry basket. Depending on the state of your bathroom facilities, you might want to bring in other items, like shower shoes, too. Make sure that your stuff is clearly labelled so that other people don’t use it by mistake.
Bedroom items
You need all your bedding, including pillows. Make sure that it’s the right size for the bed you’re going to be sleeping in. You’ll also want a rubbish bin for your room – since hanging a plastic bag on the back of the door is going to get old very quickly. Include a blanket or two for winter – you don’t know how cold the place is going to get, and you want to be mindful of the cost of gas and electricity.
Kitchen items
While you’re at university, you should be cooking for yourself. If you’re living in shared accommodation, then you might make a point of cooking for everyone else, too. Don’t expect to set up a cooking rota; this will create a sense of obligation that not everyone will be comfortable with.
Don’t expect to borrow other people’s cookware. Instead, buy your own pan sets. Make sure they’re compatible with the hob you’re going to be cooking on, and make sure that they’re easy to wash up after you’re done. You’ll also need your own cutlery – get slightly more of it than you need.
