Checklist of stuff to take to University
Location: Homepage/University checklist
Due to popular demand the checklist has been bought from the development site onto the main are of Studential. It contains all the useful and often forgotten items that freshers may require when moving into university accommodation. It is by no means an exhaustive list, and new items are being added all the time, so if you notice something missing you can add it to the checklist under development.
Remember there's no need to go out and buy every item listed here. Often universities provide some of these things, so check what they provide before you start shopping. Also you can often team up with flat mates on things like kettles, toasters, pots and pans. Whatever happens, there's likely to be a shops selling all these things when you get there, so if you do forget something vital it should'nt be too difficult to replace.
Documents
Passport photos
Passport or driving licence
Nhs number
National Insurance number
TV Licence
Cv and references
Discount travel cards
Bank account details
Address book and email contacts list
Local map
What's on guide
Old textbooks and notes
List of phone numbers
Support notification form
Diary or calander
Doctor and dentist details
Other university documents
Exam certificates
Room insurance
Kitchen
A lot of the kitchen stuff will depend if you're going self catering or not.
Corkscrew
Bottle opener
Mugs
Glasses
Wine glasses
Shot glasses
Kettle
Knives, forks and spoons
Plates
Bowls – for breakfast, soup, icecream etc
One-person casserole dish
Small frying or omelette pan
1 small, 1 large saucepan with lids
Egg cup
Tin opener
Scissors
Chopping knife
Chopping board - An extra chopping board if you are cutting meat: this way
you avoid food poisoning!!!
Vegetable peeler
Cheese grater - (Ikea do a very good one that has the grater as a lid so all
the cheese goes into a box/compartment neatly and you can leave it in there
to store aswell)
Breadknife
Wooden spoon
Spatula - good for a washing up implement.
Potato Masher (only if you are a fan of mash tho!)
Easy to follow recipe book
Store cupboard ingredients - coffee, tea, milk, sugar, eggs, margarine, cooking
oil, salt and pepper - and let's not forget pasta
Coffee whitener - for when you run out of milk
Sandwich bags - good for lots of stuff you open and need to contain. e.g.
sugar / teabags and things
Plastic bowl or box with lid
Microwaveable bowl
Cling film
Tin foil
Sieve
Tea towels
Oven gloves
Washing-up stuff - Washing-up liquid / Dishcloth / Scrubbing brush
Tray - For carrying food to your room and to stop you making a mess if you're
not eating at a table
Chopsticks
Studying
Desk lamp – Halogen
Book chair - saves a lot of neck strain if you are making notes out of a big
book]
Notice board - for timetables, numbers, etc. Some halls may already provide
one.
Message board with erasable marker eg. a mini white board or one of those
magnetic sand ones that you can wipe
Diary/planner - to keep track of assignments
Dictionary and thesaurus
A pad of lined paper - for making notes/doing drafts etc
Ream of printing paper
A4 folders
Pens, pencils, paper, files, highlighters
Scissors
Sticky tape
Stapler, hole punch
Sticky labels
Post-it notes
Paper clips
White Tac - so it doesn’t mark the walls
Stamps and envelopes
Outdoor
Sports gear
Bike
Raincoat
Umbrella
Healthcare
Multivitamins
Painkillers
Condoms/pill
Basic first aid kit - plasters, antiseptic wipes, bandages
Paracetamol
Some cold/flu remedy incase you are struck down by freshers' flu
Pro-Plus
Anti-allergy pills - eg. Piriton anti-allergy tablets
A cold/hot pack
Bathroom
Bath mat
Bath and hand towels (+ possibly a flanel)
Basket for shower supplies
Wash bag
Toilet roll
Box of tissues
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Soap - sqeasy (bottle) soap is probably better. If you're sharing bathrooms
then it's easier to transport and wont slip onto the floor etc.
Showergel
Shampoo / Conditioner
Nail clippers
Deodorant
Cologne
Hair gel
Hair spray
Hairbrush
Comb
Razor
Shaving cream/gel
Lip balm
Housekeeping
Febreeze - To stop clothes / fabric getting to smelly
Laundry bag - So your dirty clothes don't end up on the floor. And for dragging
to the laundry or dumping on your parents to wash for you!
Clothes horse – Save money on dryers by drying your clothes in your
room
Coat hangers – you may not get any in wardrobes
Dustpan and brush - for cleaning up the odd mess, though most unis should
provide this
Duster
Kitchen towel
Cif cleaning products/Detox?
Washing powder/liquid/tablets - if the washing powder dispenser isn't working
Door wedge – an open door in freshers week is much more friendly
Electrical
Alarm clock (maybe 2 in two different locations in your roomto make sure
lectures are at least attempted, even if you carry on sleeping there!)
Calculator – for sorting out finances
Computer and/or laptop – saves on queues at deadline time
Computer mouse for laptop – easier to use than a trackpad
Floppy disks (diskettes) and CDR’s (CDRW's cheaper in long run) –
for backing up work
USB "pen drive" - carrying projects etc between uni, internet cafe,
friends comp, etc. quickly, easily and RELIABLY!
Printer - printing could take up to six hours on uni computers
Network cable – to access the internet from the socket in your room
Mini fridge – for beer and other items you don’t want in the communal fridge
Bedside lamp
Mobile and charger
Answering machine
CD player/Hi?-fi system - though better (certainly space wise) just to bring
speakers and use your computer
TV - but license fee will be costly. There will doubtless be a communal TV
you can watch. Also worth considering a TV-DVD/-VCR combi or seperate VCR/DVD
players
Camera - to take pictures of room and friends (to send home/put on website
... everything else people do with photos)
Headphones - so you don't disturb others when you play music loud. You can
get 'infra-red' ones that aren't too expensive and allow you to walk around
while still listening to the music.
Batteries - rechargeable (save money)
Multi plug adaptor/extension lead – to give you more than the normal
2/4 sockets
Clothing
Dressing gown
Slippers
T-shirts
Jumpers
Trowsers
Underwear
Socks
Shoes
Trainers
Flip flops – for wearing in showers / communal wash areas
Swimwear
Ball gowns/eveningwear – for the Freshers’ Ball.
Shirt and tie for any smart-casual events
Leisure
Board games - a couple, will make a good fun free evening (not sure about
your phrasing! – its not mine)
Pack of card
Ball - rugby ball/football for friendly matches/made up games
Frisbee - again for the occassional game (rugby style)
Style
Posters – though theses are often available during freshers week -
(you might need things to cover bad decoration)
Photos of family and friends
Wall hanging – more homely than posters
Rugs – to hide the mangy carpet
Fairylights/disco ball/police light/lava lamp
Cushions/beanbags - for friends to sit down in your room
A throw - to make your bed into a sofa for friends to sit on
Pot plants
Teddy bear/stuffed toys
Blankets - for when it gets cold and you want to snuggle up
Bedding
Sheets
Duvet and duvet covers
Pillows & pillow cases - did you know the average used pillow is 75% dead
flesh?
Mattress cover – goes between the mattress and the bottom sheet
Hot water bottle
Inflatable mattress and pump - for your mates when they visit
Sleeping bag - for when friends come to stay/when you go to stay
Miscellaneous
Alcohol – to make new friends with
Sweets or biscuits – to distribute to flatmates
Extra storage – cardboard or plastic boxes for things which wont fit
anywhere else
Large suitcase – to put things in when going home for the weekend
A spare lightbulb
Torch - for power cuts and looking under desks/chairs/beds
Pen knife
Loose change – for washing / vending machines
Earplugs - to cut out noise you don't want to hear
Bookends - probably unecessary; just use something else (eg pot of pasta,
sugar etc)
Poster hangers - if you're not allowed Blu-/White?-Tac on the walls
Safety pins
Small sewing kit - just incase you need to do a quik fix on a rip or tear
(like the ones you get in hotels)
Small toolkit
Matches
Fan
Clock
Female specific items
Hair Ties/clips
Make up
Lip Gloss
Jewellery Box
Jewellery
Moisturiser
Baby Oil
Nail Varnish
Hair removing cream
Hair dryer / straightners
Male specific items
Shaving brush
Don't bother with
Iron
Toaster
Sandwich maker - (I disagree that it isn't worth bringing) they're cheap and
compact so if you like the taste of what they make then take one. A hot meal
in minutes with little effort. The down side is they can be very messy when
combined with cheese so you'll want to put it on a tray when in use.
Nice kitchen stuff - it will get used then left on the side to rot/rust
Candles – serious fire hazard
And all things that everyone gets, so if you're in flats rather than halls, you may want to wait and see if you really need to splash out when you could just borrow your flatmate's.