What To Pack For Uni When First Moving Out

Moving out to go to university for the first time can be intimidating – especially if you’re heading to a new city, or even a new country. Whilst some things will be fairly obvious to pack (I hope!), others might slip your mind – so here’s a quick run-down of a few things I forgot when I first moved to Kingston! :smile:

Clothes hangers
Whilst I clearly knew to bring clothes to uni, for some reason bringing clothes hangers didn’t occur to me until I arrived in halls and had no way to actually hang any of the stuff I had brought in my wardrobe. Don’t make my mistake!

Basic kitchenware and cutlery
Nowadays, lots of halls of residence provide a microwave, toaster and kettle as standard: so whilst you might not need to bring any new kitchen appliances, it’s still important to have a basic set of cutlery (forks, knives, spoons) as well a few saucepans and any bowls/mugs/plates you might need. Make sure not to forget some of the more basic kitchen utensils either, such as kitchen scissors or a spatula, and don’t forget the tea towels either!

Important documents
If you’re travelling from abroad, you’ll likely have to bring your passport to university: however, I know a good few home students who completely forgot! Bringing any important documentation – whether that’s proof of address, proof of university acceptance, A-Level Certificates, driving license, birth certificate, etc – may save you a lot of hassle down the line if you want to apply for part-time jobs, need a DBS check or have any issues with enrolment. It’s also just useful to have on hand for emergencies!

Batteries, cables and a spare phone charger
Whilst you’d think batteries shouldn’t really be necessary – especially considering how many electrical items are charged by mains or USB these days – trust me when I say you’ll quickly come across something that needs them, whether that’s a TV remote or a portable clothes steamer. Furthermore, if you’re bringing a video game console or plan to use one or two different computer monitors, remember to bring your HDMI cables and any chargers/power points. I also recommend having a spare phone charger on hand – you never know when you might lose yours, and you don’t want to have to go begging your flatmates to borrow theirs until you can buy a new one.

A spare set of bedding
Most students do remember to bring a duvet and at least one cover and pillowcase to university – but I would definitely recommend bringing a spare set of bedding as well! There’ll definitely be times where you’ll be too tired to do your laundry just yet, but want a clean set of sheets, so having a backup can be really helpful. Maybe consider one heavier set and one lighter set – that way you can use one for the warmer months and the other for the colder.

Is there anything in particular you forgot to bring to university? Or is there anything you brought that you later felt you didn’t really need?

Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 1

katiexdocherty

I just want to add that the wardrobes/dressers in halls are usually very small, so try not to bring too many nice outfits and such. When you're in your room studying, you'll want to be dressed more comfy

Kingston University

Kingston upon Thames

Reply 2

Kingston Reps

Official Rep

Original post by katiexdocherty

Hi @katiexdocherty

No need to worry about storage space at Kingston! Our accommodation prioritises storage in all of our rooms. I stayed at Seething Wells Halls of Residence in my first year here and found it super spacious and had lots of storage space for my summer and winter wardrobe, and other bits and bobs- including a whole draw for snacks!!

If you did want to have a further look into our storage options in the rooms, then you can follow this link which shows you a virtual walkthrough of our accommodations.
https://www.kingston.ac.uk/accommodation/halls-of-residence/

I hope this helps!

-Yasmin (Kingston Rep)