Uni essentials?

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.

Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?

I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

Reply 1

CheeseIsVeg

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by karmaapolice

hey there

Check out this page on UCAS for what to bring: https://www.ucas.com/money-and-student-life/student-life/starting-university-or-college/list-absolutely-everything-you-need-take-university-or-college

usually your uni has one too

You will definitely need paper and a laptop would be very useful too!

Books depend on your course but I usually advise to save money and just use copies in the libraries :yy:

Best wishes,
Cheese :smile:

Reply 2

Chronoscope

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by karmaapolice

Hi! You'll need some kind of tech device for uni, that could be whatever you want to use e.g. laptop, iPad, PC. People tend to use laptops or tablets for lectures though as they're more portable (check out tsr's iPad vs Laptop for university debate.

It might be worth deciding whether you want to take physical or digital notes, but its totally fine if you want to experiment. Personally I found some modules I did worked better with digital notes, and some physical notes.
Paper is useful for mindmaps (a4 and a3 can be helpful), whiteboards can also be helpful.
Revision cue cards (again this is another physical vs digital thing, and it just depends what works for you).

Regarding uni textbooks it depends on the uni/course. My uni provided us with a reading list for each module and pretty much all the books were available via the university library as e-books or pdf's and we could access them whenever we wanted.

Reply 3

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

If you're going to be living home you probably just need a bag and a notepad and pen or an ipad to take notes. You'll only need books if there's reading material on the modules. A water bottle would be handy too and some change for parking if you're driving in as well as any documents you may need to enrol.

Reply 4

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

Hiya,

I'd say what you need depends on your course. A lot of people choose to have a laptop to type notes or make paper notes. However, I choose to use a tablet to make notes directly onto the downloadable powerpoint slides because I find this easier to organise.

Also, I would recommend getting a good backpack/ bag for taking into uni if you are commuting!

Good luck
-Beth (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 5

UCLan Student

Official Rep

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

Hi there!

I would recommend waiting until you start to see what textbooks you may need to avoid wasting money like you mentioned you did in sixth form. I would start with just a simple notepad and pens/highlighters to start with or bring your laptop with you if you'd prefer making notes on that.

All courses are different so I wouldn't rush into buying too much stationary either. Start with some basics like I mentioned and then add to it as you start your course.

I believe you will need a laptop or an iPad of some sort for your studies but I would again probably wait in getting one unless you already own one.

Hope this helps, 😊
Jakub- Fashion promotion and marketing graduate

Reply 6

Rockyslom

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

What uni are you going to?

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

Original post by Rockyslom

What uni are you going to?

Hallam

Reply 8

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

Hi,

It depends on your subject and preference. I did a physics degree and I personally preferred writing notes on my iPad over physical paper as I could write my notes over the top of the lecture slides, but I know a lot of others who did write notes on paper. You may prefer typing up notes on your laptop if you’re doing an essay based subject or more wordy subject.

With regards to textbooks, try to borrow these from the library if possible so you don’t waste money just in case you don’t end up using the textbooks, and maybe check with your lecturers about which textbooks they recommend!

I hope this helps! 🙂

Jamimah
(Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 9

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

Hey @karmaapolice
Congratulations on starting your university journey soon! 🎉

What you need depends on your course and university. I'd recommend to start with a few basics and add as you go along. You can always adjust later basis your preferences, like study habits and digital vs physical study materials.

A few basics for uni can include -

•

Laptop/Ipad

•

A few notebooks (this depends on whether you prefer writing or taking notes on your laptop/ipad)

•

Pens/highlighters

Beyond these basics, you can also consider getting a planner diary (or a digital calendar) to keep track of your lectures, assignments and exams. It is also a good idea to get a power bank, a bag pack, and flashcards (if you prefer physical ones). You might also need a calculator depending on your modules, but I'd recommend to buy it later to see if you need one.

Many universities provide these stationery items for free, so it might be worth it to check for that! Here, at the University of Southampton, you can also loan a laptop from the library if you need one.

I hope this helps!

All the best,
Akshita
(University of Southampton Student Rep)

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 10

University of Portsmouth Student Rep

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

Hi!

What course are you studying? Often equipment requirements can vary based on what you're doing in lectures and seminars, so it's a good idea to look at your course page if there's a lot of practical work!

I've been able to access all of my readings online for free throughout my course, so I would say wait until you get to uni to buy any of those, unless you're asked to beforehand, as your university might have a similar system!

In general throughout university I used my laptop for most of my work and then a notebook for planning work/random notes. However, I knew people that used desktops at home and wrote notes in lectures, so it's really a case of what works for you. Your university might also have a system to borrow laptops, so I think it might help to get an idea of your workload, and type of work before you buy lots of equipment!

In terms of essentials for commuting before you join I would say a decent bag that fits your things and a water bottle - I use mine every day if I'm on campus.

Hope this helps!

Eryn - Portsmouth Student Rep 🙂

Reply 11

WrexhamUniReps

Official Rep

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

Hi 👋

It really depends on what your preferred method is, as everybody at a university does different things. Some prefer to use pen and paper however others prefer the more modern way of writing notes on a laptop.

So honestly, the choice is yours 😀, you could always take both and try each way for the first few weeks to see which way works best for you.

I hope this helps,

Matt
Wrexham Uni Reps

Reply 12

Anonymous #2

c) at Kingston University.
I was thinking about the modules and the work and learning i will do and when i am at uni i think most of it will be done on the universities desktops which will have the specialised software needed. But if i have lectures where i have to take lots of notes. What would be the best way to take these notes.e.g. Online like on a laptop or physical notes.
If i choose laptop then i would need to get a new laptop which can assist me with that and not just in writing notes but doing coding or homework and stuff, cause my current one is 4 years old and the it only runs like an hour without being plugged in and i dont wanna be plugging my laptop at uni cause its just an inconvineance. Like i can use that laptop at home easily but i think it will not be able to use it at school.
I geuss i could also write physical notes amd but i have a problem with this as i dont know how to keep it organised cause in year 13 i just had lots of scattered notes which didnt help.

Another option i saw was that to write physical notes on paper or book and then transfer them to icloud so i can access them on my laptop too.

But any thoughts suggestions on what option i should use will be helpful.

Reply 13

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

c) at Kingston University.
I was thinking about the modules and the work and learning i will do and when i am at uni i think most of it will be done on the universities desktops which will have the specialised software needed. But if i have lectures where i have to take lots of notes. What would be the best way to take these notes.e.g. Online like on a laptop or physical notes.
If i choose laptop then i would need to get a new laptop which can assist me with that and not just in writing notes but doing coding or homework and stuff, cause my current one is 4 years old and the it only runs like an hour without being plugged in and i dont wanna be plugging my laptop at uni cause its just an inconvineance. Like i can use that laptop at home easily but i think it will not be able to use it at school.
I geuss i could also write physical notes amd but i have a problem with this as i dont know how to keep it organised cause in year 13 i just had lots of scattered notes which didnt help.
Another option i saw was that to write physical notes on paper or book and then transfer them to icloud so i can access them on my laptop too.
But any thoughts suggestions on what option i should use will be helpful.

Doing Computer science

Reply 14

PhDwithEllaB

Original post by karmaapolice

I’m going to be living at home and just wanted to know what type of things I should be preparing for uni.
Like will I need books, paper, a laptop?
I brought loads of books for sixth form which ended up going to waste because my sixth form provided us with folders and textbooks. So I just wanted to be sure before splurging on paper and pens.

If it were me, and if living at home allows you the finances to do so, invest in tech. Good laptop, perhaps a monitor/docking station if you like working at a desk, and good backup system for files (cloud based probably). Maybe a small printer? I personally do all my printing on campus (as I don’t print all that much). I like having both a laptop and a tablet, but if I have to pick one it’s always the laptop.