29 September 2022

  • Useful

A-Z university essentials

Going to university can be a scary time for some students, but it is also a new and exciting experience, with an opportunity to learn new things, meet new people and to get away from your family home into your own place!

If you are unsure on what you’ll need to take with you, here is an A-Z (nearly) not exclusive, list of a few essential items you might want to consider taking with you:

A – Air mattress.  If you would like to have some friends or family over to stay, having an air bed handy means that you can have them over whenever you’d like, and you don’t have to worry about where they’re going to sleep. It would be good to have some extra bedding for these occasions too!

B – Bedding. This includes pillows, bed linen, a mattress protector and one thing you might want to consider is a (memory foam) mattress topper as many student accommodation mattresses are low quality and aren’t very comfortable. One thing to note is that often the beds provided in halls are three quarter sized!

C – Clothes. This one is self-explanatory, but you might want to consider taking a variety of clothes for all sorts of occasions. You never know when you’ll need your fancy dress costume.

D – Décor. It’s widely known that student accommodation isn’t exactly a five-star hotel but adding your own décor can make it feel a bit more like home. Why don’t you try a rug, posters / photo’s, fairy lights, a lamp, some cushions, and a blanket etc.

E – Earplugs. Even if you’ve never owned a pair of earplugs, when you head off to university the first week, you’ll wish you did! As there’s always something different occurring throughout your accommodation, sleep will be rare and broken so make good use of anything you can get your hands on to sleep better…

F – First Aid Kit. There’s no doubt that at some point you might need a plaster or some pain killers! Make sure you are fully stocked up for any situation.

G – Glasses. Start university with a few glasses, these are bound to go missing, get broken or stolen and often you’ll find they’re used and dirty in the kitchen sink! You can find cheap glasses all over the place.

H – Headphones. You’ll want to listen to music regularly, whether it be in the library, walking to a lecture or relaxing in your bedroom! These can be good for blocking out annoying sounds too.

I – Ice cube tray. This isn’t necessarily an essential, however, if you like to treat yourself to an ice-cold drink, you might want ice. In the summer especially, halls can get quite warm so you may want to consider this. It’s more cost efficient than buying pre-made bags of ice too.

J – Jewellery. You may want a variety of jewellery to choose from. Make sure you keep these somewhere safe, so they don’t get lost or damaged.

K – Knives. For the times when you decide you want to cook a nice meal for yourself, you’ll want a decent knife to use. Most supermarkets sell reasonably priced knifes / knife sets, so if you don’t want to spend a fortune on branded knives these can be a good alternative.

L – Laundry basket. This will save you having a messy bedroom all the time and make it so much easier to take your dirty clothes to the washing rooms.

M – Multi-vitamins. Freshers flu may get you, and so will various other illnesses through the years. Taking vitamins will help your body to fight anything off that you catch, and hopefully make you feel healthy. It’s common to feel run down at university so you should look to do anything you can to help you feel good.

Seek advice if you need help with what vitamins are right for you.

N – Notepad. Depending on the type of course you’re taking and the type of note taker you are, you may want to take a notepad or two.

O – Oven gloves. Everything in university halls gets ruined at some point and you might worry that you’ll end up with six pairs of oven gloves if everyone brings them but, they will all get used and probably will get destroyed too!

P – Playing cards. You might think that a group of university students won’t want to play with a pack of cards, but these do come in good use, and it can be quite easy to get them ruined. Invite some new friends round to your flat and play some games together!

Q – Quilt (duvet). As mentioned above about bringing your own bedding, bringing a duvet is important as they won’t often be provided to you, and wouldn’t it be a bit nicer and more homely to have your own?

R – Reusable water bottle. Not only is this beneficial for the environment but it is also better for your pocket. A reusable water bottle is great to have for attending lectures, going to the gym, sitting in the living room, having next to your bed etc.

S – Slippers. The carpets aren’t always very nice in student accommodation, and the kitchen WILL get dirty and won’t get cleaned regularly so you won’t want to be walking around in there without anything protecting your feet. Any sort of indoor footwear is highly recommended!

T – TV licence / TV subscriptions. If you’re going to be watching the TV a TV licence is essential. Although this is an extra cost, it can be broken down and paid for monthly. For a year it is £159, and if you’re sharing with five other people this would work out at £2.20 per person per month (which is small in comparison to the chance of getting fined!) If you don’t want to watch the TV, a subscription like Netflix will be your best friend throughout your time there.

U – Umbrella. An umbrella or a good coat will do for the rainy walks to university or to the supermarket! If you go out of an evening, an umbrella might be a good choice as coats / jackets aren’t often worn by students.

V – Vacuum cleaner. It is common for student accommodations to provide a hoover in each flat, so it is worth checking that before you go out and buy your own. This will come in handy (especially in the kitchen!)

W – Wireless speaker. When you have friends come round to see you and you’re all hanging out together in the kitchen cooking some food, you’ll want the music blasting! Speakers are great for any social occasion!

X – Xbox. Not everyone has an Xbox or sees it as an essential, but if you wish to take your games console to university, it is definitely a good idea. It gives you something to do when you have no plans, provides entertainment, and gives you more options for things to watch than just a TV.

Can you think of anything extra (or for Y and Z!) that could be a university essential?

By Rebecca Levers

Marketing and Communications Specialist

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