Uni accommodation- what should I buy?!

Hi starting uni in central London in September I’m completely unprepared 😅.
Anyone have any gems I should buy to make accommodation life easier?! Unsure how much stuff I need to get for my room and kitchen and what’s provided by my accom! I’m the first of my family to go to uni so a bit stuck!

Firstly, congrats on being the first in your family to go to uni.

If you're going to study in central London, then you shouldn't bring more than a suitcase worth of stuff. The room you would be living in is typically tiny, especially in London.

Items that I would prioritise bringing include:


What you should realise is that uni accommodation is not the same thing as a 5* hotel. There would typically be funishings, but most of the daily items you need you should acquire yourself.
What I definitely don't recommend bringing would be items that are incredibly valuable (it's London) or take up a lot of space (unless you happen to be staying at a tens of millions pound mansion somewhere that you're not telling us).
If you're really pushing it, you might be able to bring a couple of dumbbells, a mat to work on, and possibly a skipping rope. A multigym is likely out of the question. Game consoles, mega sized TVs, and chadeliers should be out of the question. The small items such as as cacti, bobbleheads, and figurines are fine.
There is typically a policy against having a personal fridge in your room, so you would need to check.

You would typically buy the things you need in London (to save you the hassle of moving stuff unnecessarily) e.g. food (ideally frozen if you have the freezer space), stationery, and textbooks (avoid this where possible unless it's a really good book; use the uni library where possible, and if you really need to hunt down second hand textbooks on the internet, but don't just rely on Amazon).

Where possible, try to go digital to save you the hassle of moving a lot of things e.g. Netflix subscription instead of your DVD/Blu Ray collection and TV; e-readers with thousands of books instead of your home library; Duolingo instead of your collection of language CDs.
Unless it's a necessity for your course, I would avoid bringing the big items e.g. art and design equipment, musical instruments (not pianos or drum sets though),
If you need to, you would use the local amenities for big item stuff e.g. local gyms, libraries, university music rooms.

From what I’ve heard my rooms fairly large and it’s been refurbished so hoping I’ll have room for all my clothes and machines(fashion student) 😃 how many pots and pans should I bring? Do they provide things such as a bedside lamp and bin or am I required to bring those? Are we allowed candles (won’t light them obvs)?

How does the shared kitchen usually work? Do we all share equipment and food or is it better to get my own? Assuming we’d get assigned shelf’s etc?

my rooms fairly large and it’s been refurbished
A large room in London. Are you loaded?

I’ll have room for all my clothes and machines(fashion student)
Your room should be able to accommodate for what you need for your course. If you need to check, call the uni accommodation office to check for the size/dimensions of the room.

how many pots and pans should I bring?
Unless you're hosting a party every other weekend, a medium sized pot and medium sized pan would be more than enough for most things.
I'm more about convenience than traditional cooking, so I would bring a pressure cooker since they're not likely to have it.
There should be a microwave available as well as a standard chopping board (if not, a cheap one can be bought in London).

Do they provide things such as a bedside lamp and bin or am I required to bring those?
It would depend on the individual uni. Some do, others don't. In terms of lamps, it's more likely it's a desk lamp as opposed to a bedside lamp.
If they don't offer these, they tend to be relatively cheap to get from say Tesco, Argos, or a low cost shop

Are we allowed candles (won’t light them obvs)?
Again, it would depend on the policies of the individual uni accommodation office. Some say that simply having them is not allowed. Some say so long you don't light them you're fine.
Lighting anything that leaves marks in the room, as you have rightly inferred, is a big no-no. I have heard stories about how some people smoked very heavily in their own rooms (and it's not something legal), that there are yellow stains on the wall. Standard laws regarding tenancy is that whatever condition you were given the room you should give back in the same condition as you received it (which is why you should always take photos of the room before you move in just in case there are any disputes when you leave).

How does the shared kitchen usually work?
It's like a kitchen that you have at home, except the kitchen is used at varying times throughout the day. How many people are in the kitchen at once would depend on the number of people in the house/flat.
In a typical kitchen, you would be allocated your own space for storage - freezer, fridge, utensils, etc. If people are hogging space in the kitchen, you would need to raise the issue with the supervisor.
You come down to cook food and either eat in the kitchen or back in your room. Sometimes you can have people visit you at the accommodation and the kitchen is used to entertain them. Should you wish, you can use the communal dining area/table to eat or socialise with the other house/flatmates.

Do we all share equipment and food or is it better to get my own?
That depends on personal preference. I personally bring some of my own, in case there is not enough to go around or someone is using the equipment. If you have a strong preference on personal hygiene (because not everyone would wash up afterwards), then you would want some of your own.
In terms of food, you usually buy your own. It's a way of respecting boundaries. If you have flatmates who are willing to pitch in and share the food you all buy, then by all means share your food. However, it's more often than not better to just get your own, as it's also the expectation for you to do so.
As a minimum, I recommend bringing your own cutlery and plates, since there's not likely will be enough to go around.

Assuming we’d get assigned shelf’s etc?
You should be allocated some space, but it's not outlined definitely with boundaries, etc. You're assumed to be adults and be able to negotiate or sort things out amongst yourselves, so respectfully speak to other flatmates about the arrangements and try to accommodate the others'. What's not acceptable is if you get zero space and not allowed to have any of your stuff in the kitchen.
If you temporarily need more space, ask a flatmate if you can use their space for a bit.

It's very difficult to determine what you exactly need without seeing the room in the first place. I would hold off buying anything (other than the basic plates, bowls, and cutlery and bits of food for the first couple of nights) until you see the place first. If you're really keen, you can call up the uni accommodation office to see what they recommend.

Haha wish I was loaded, just disabled so have been given an upgrade on rooms😅
One more thing,,, how often do they check our rooms? I’m not very tidy😅

Thanks for your advice